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Alliston Herald

The Banting Homestead, birthplace of Sir Frederick Banting, Nobel Prize winner in medicine for his co-discovery of life saving insulin for diabetics.

Banting homestead recognized with plaque

BY Herald Staff   September 09, 2008 17:09

It might still be dilapidated and a bit of an eyesore, but the birthplace of Sir Frederick Banting in Alliston has caught the eye of the federal government nonetheless.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada approved the 100-acre property located just north of Alliston on Sir Frederick Banting Road (Conc. 3 Essa) for a plaque commemorating Banting and his birthplace.

"Our Government is pleased and honoured to commemorate the birthplace of

Sir Frederick Banting," said Simcoe-Grey MP Helena Guergis in making the announcement on behalf of Canadian Environment Minister John Baird. "Frederick Banting's contribution to science is something that all Canadians can be proud of, and his outstanding achievement of having advanced the treatment of diabetes will help to ensure he remains a true inspiration to all Canadians."

Sir Frederick Banting was born in 1891 in Alliston, Ontario at the property now known as the Banting Homestead.

In 1916, Sir Frederick Banting

graduated from the University of Toronto Medical School and served in the

Canadian Army Medical Corps during the First World War. After the war, Bantingcompleted his training as an orthopedic surgeon and established a general practice in London, Ontario. In May of 1921, under the supervision of Prof. John Macleod, Banting began research on diabetes at the University of Toronto with his assistant, graduate student Charles Best.

After a few months of intense research, Banting and Best, with the

assistance of chemist James Collip, were able to extract and purify an anti-diabetic substance from the pancreas, which is now known as insulin. The drug was hailed as one of the most significant advances in medicine at the time and immediately began to extend the lives of millions of diabetics worldwide.

The discovery led to many awards, notably the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1923 for Banting and Macleod as the discoverers of insulin, and a knighthood for Banting bestowed in 1934 by King George V.

Sir Frederick Banting died in the crash of a military aircraft in Newfoundland, on Feb. 21, 1941.

Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises

the Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Canada's Environment Minister, on the national historic significance of places, people and events that have marked Canada's history. Canada's family of national historic sites recognizes the vision of Canadians who built our nation and how their actions, the places they built, and the events they were part of, have influenced the values we share today. The placement of a commemorative plaque represents an official recognition of historic value. It is one means of informing the public about the richness of our cultural heritage, which must be preserved for present and future generations.

The Banting Homestead was left to the Ontario Historical Society in the estate of Edward Banting, the last Banting family member to own the property.

The site became the subject of much controversy when it was learned the historical society planned to sell it to developers. Just last year the site was secured and sold to the Town of New Tecumseth so it will be protected. Future plans haven’t been solidified yet, but some ideas being tossed about include a museum and a camp for diabetic children.


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