Treatment FAQ

what was elliott joslin treatment for diabetes

by Henderson Cormier Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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It was the world's first diabetes care facility, and today maintains its place as the largest diabetes clinic in the world. Joslin was adamant in his position that good glucose control, achieved through a restricted carbohydrate diet, exercise, and frequent testing and insulin adjustment, would prevent complications.

Full Answer

What did Dr Joslin discover about diabetes?

Following the discovery of insulin in 1922, Joslin’s first patient to receive insulin injections gained weight, after previously losing 70 pounds, and lived for another 25 years. Joslin emphasized a three-pronged method of diabetes management: diet, exercise and insulin.

What did Elliott Joslin study at Yale University?

After graduating from Yale, Elliott Joslin extended his time at the university by enrolling in a master's degree in physiological chemistry. This interest in chemistry, along with his aunt's recent diagnosis of diabetes, led him to an interest in diabetes and metabolic disease.

What happened to Dr Joslin's theory?

Dr. Joslin's approach to diabetes management was debated for decades by other endocrinologists and scientists. He did not live to see his theory validated. Dr. Joslin died in 1962 at the age of 92, at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.

What disease did Dr Joslin's aunt Helen have?

While he was in college, Dr. Joslin's Aunt Helen was diagnosed with diabetes. He studied her disease, and coincidentally, was assigned to treat a student with diabetes during his third year in medical school.

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When was Joslin diabetes Center founded?

1898Joslin Diabetes Center / Founded

Who owns Joslin diabetes?

the Beth Israel Lahey Health systemJoslin Diabetes Center is part of the Beth Israel Lahey Health system. We're leading the way in diabetes research, care, and education. That's why national healthcare organizations have recognized our work and the quality of care we provide to patients.

Who is the father of diabetes?

In regard to diabetes mellitus, Joseph von Mering and Oskar Minkowski are commonly credited with the formal discovery (1889) of a role for the pancreas in causing the condition.

Is Joslin Diabetes a non profit?

Joslin Diabetes Center is a certified 501(c)(3) organization (EIN 04-2203836) and gladly accepts gifts from Donor Advised Funds.

Who owns Beth Israel Lahey Health?

CareGroupCareGroup, which is the corporate parent of Beth Israel Deaconess, New England Baptist Hospital and Mount Auburn Hospital, reported $38.7 million of operating income on revenue of $3.53 billion in 2018, a significant increase from a $3.1 million operating loss on $3.33 billion of revenue in 2017.

How did diabetics survive before insulin?

Before insulin was discovered in 1921, people with diabetes didn't live for long; there wasn't much doctors could do for them. The most effective treatment was to put patients with diabetes on very strict diets with minimal carbohydrate intake. This could buy patients a few extra years but couldn't save them.

How was diabetes treated in the 1950s?

In the 1950s, the method a person used to control his blood glucose levels was to drop a reagent tablet into a small test tube containing a few drops of urine mixed with water. The resulting colour – from dark blue to orange – indicated the amount of sugar in the urine.

How was diabetes treated in ancient times?

Over 3,000 years ago, the ancient Egyptians mentioned a condition that appears to have been type 1 diabetes. It featured excessive urination, thirst, and weight loss. The writers recommended following a diet of whole grains to reduce the symptoms.

What did Elliott Joslin do after graduating from Yale?

After graduating from Yale, Elliott Joslin extended his time at the university by enrolling in a master's degree in physiological chemistry. This interest in chemistry, along with his aunt's recent diagnosis of diabetes, led him to an interest in diabetes and metabolic disease.

Where is Joslin Clinic?

In 1952, Joslin's group practice became officially known as the Joslin Clinic. In 1956, the office moved to its current location at One Joslin Place in Boston. It was the world’s first diabetes care facility, and today maintains its place as the largest diabetes clinic in the world.

Who invented the glucose monitor?

The first hospital blood glucose monitoring system for pre-meal testing was developed under Joslin 's direction before 1940 and was the forerunner of the modern glucometer era. Joslin was also the first to name diabetes a serious public health issue.

Who promoted fasting and undernutrition to treat diabetic patients?

Before the discovery of insulin, Joslin and Frederick Madison Allen promoted fasting and undernutrition to treat diabetic patients. Critics referred to this as "starvation dieting," and some patients starved to death.

Who wrote the first diabetes patient handbook?

Two years later, Joslin wrote Diabetic Manual — for the Doctor and Patient, detailing what patients could do to take control of their disease. This was the first diabetes patient handbook and became a best seller. There have been 14 editions of this pioneering handbook, and a version is still published today by the Joslin Diabetes Center under the title The Joslin Guide to Diabetes.

When was the study of diabetes started?

The study was started in 1946 and soon confirmed the true incidence of diabetes in the general population (including a percentage of cases that went undetected). The study was carried out over the next 20 years. The results would later confirm Joslin's fear that the incidence of diabetes in the United States was approaching epidemic proportions.

When was Joslin's tight control approach validated?

Joslin's tight control approach wasn’t validated until 30 years after his death, when in 1993 , a 10-year study, the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Report was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Why did Joslin create the three horse chariot?

Joslin created a three horse chariot symbol to reflect his philosophy of living with diabetes — the three horse motif symbolized Diet, Exercise and Insulin, which are all needed to achieve victory over diabetes.

When was the diabetes control and complications trial report published?

It wasn’t until 1993 that his approach was supported by the 10-year study, “The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial Report,” published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. The study demonstrated that the onset of diabetes complications was delayed by tight blood glucose control.

What was the first diabetes patient handbook?

Two years later he published the Diabetic Manual — for the Doctor and Patient. This was the first diabetes patient handbook, and it detailed how patients could take control of the disease. The significance of this book can’t be overemphasized — educating patients about diabetes was the first step toward people feeling empowered instead of victimized by the disease. This became a hallmark of Joslin's care approach.

When was diabetes first diagnosed?

Joslin's belief that diabetes was an epidemic. As a result, diabetes was named a public health issue for the first time. Dr. Joslin saw his first patient in 1898 at his parents' townhouse at 517 Beacon Street.

Who was the first physician to name diabetes as a serious public health issue?

Dr. Joslin also was the first physician to name diabetes as a serious public health issue. Just after WWII, he lamented to the Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service that diabetes was an epidemic and challenged the government to do a study in the town of his birthplace, Oxford. The study began in 1946 and was carried out over the next 20 years. The results confirmed Dr. Joslin 's belief that diabetes was an epidemic. As a result, diabetes was named a public health issue for the first time.

Can we create a world without diabetes?

Together, we can and will create a world without diabetes. Help us help the ones you love.

What is Joslin known for?

Joslin was known for his showmanship as well as his medical proficiency.

Where was Elliott Joslin born?

Unlike many other men who made Boston a center of medical innovation, Elliott Joslin was born in Massachusetts — in the town of Oxford, 40 miles west of Boston. The son of a wealthy shoe manufacturer, Elliott was an unusually focused, driven young man. He attended Yale College, graduated at the top of his Harvard Medical School class, and served an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital. After additional study in Europe, he returned to Boston in 1898 and opened a private office in the house his father had bought in the Back Bay.

What was the purpose of the book Aids in the Practical Management of Diabetic Cases?

The book included a section, "Aids in the Practical Management of Diabetic Cases," reflecting Joslin's commitment to giving patients the knowledge they would need to help manage their own disease and treatment. While a widely-accepted idea today, teaching the afflicted and their families how to administer personal treatment plans was a radical approach in 1916. Once a patient returned home from the hospital, he or she was assisted by "wandering diabetes nurses," another of Dr. Joslin's innovations.

When did diabetes first appear?

A woman showed the first symptoms of diabetes in the spring of 1899 at 60 years of age and 5% of sugar was found in June. She had gradually lost, during the preceding fifteen years, twenty pounds and weighed 165 pounds when the diagnosis was made. Under rigid diet, the urine promptly became sugar-free, the tolerance rose to 130 grams and safe for very brief intervals and remained so for nine years until 1908. In 1909, a carbuncle appeared. With prompt surgical care, vaccines, the restriction of carbohydrates and the temporary utilization of an oatmeal diet, the sugar disappeared and the carbuncle healed promptly, but the urine did not remain permanently sugar-free, although only about 30 grams of sugar was excreted. Residence in the hospital for a few days in September of 1912, in order to have a few teeth removed, lowered the sugar to 0.8%.

Who was the first person to record diabetes?

Mary Higgins' s case sparked his interest and convinced him of the need to chart in detail the course of a patient's illness. Joslin began keeping a diabetic ledger in 1893; Mary Higgins was the first entry in the first volume. He documented every patient he treated for the next 70 years. Eventually, his ledgers filled 80 volumes and became the central registry for diabetes in the United States, the first system for recording patient diabetes data outside of Europe.

Did Joslin have regular cake?

While Joslin's regimen was unrelenting — one girl remembered being forbidden regular cake and having to settle for one made of soda-biscuit even on her 16 th birthday — the benefits were clear.

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Overview

Elliott Proctor Joslin (June 6, 1869 – January 28, 1962) was the first doctor in the United States to specialize in diabetes and was the founder of today's Joslin Diabetes Center.
Joslin was involved for seven decades in most aspects of diabetes investigation and treatment, save for the fact that he did not discover insulin. Following the Toronto group's blockbuster discovery of insulin in 1921, and the group's disbanding several years later, Joslin became effect…

Early life

Elliott Joslin was born to wealthy parents in 1869 in Oxford, Massachusetts where his father was a mill owner. He was educated at Leicester Academy, Yale College and Harvard Medical School. After graduating from Yale, Elliott Joslin extended his time at the university by enrolling in a master's degree in physiological chemistry. This interest in chemistry, along with his aunt's recent diagnosis of diabetes, led him to an interest in diabetes and metabolic disease.

Medical career

From the beginning of his medical practice he kept a diabetes registry, the first of its kind in the world. His carefully assembled data from his medical ledgers eventually allowed him to predict a global diabetes epidemic that is evident today. In 1908, in conjunction with physiologist Francis G. Benedict, Joslin carried out extensive metabolic balance studies examining fasting and feeding in patients with varying severities of diabetes. His findings would help to validate the observations …

Controversy

Before the discovery of insulin, Joslin and Frederick Madison Allen promoted fasting and undernutrition to treat diabetic patients. Critics referred to this as "starvation dieting".

Selected publications

• A Diabetic Manual for the Mutual Use of Doctor and Patient (1918)
• Diabetic Metabolism with High and Low Diets (1923)
• The Treatment of Diabetes Mellitus: With Observations Based Upon Three Thousand Cases (1923)

Quotes from Dr. Joslin

• "The diabetic who knows the most, lives the longest."
• "It is better to discuss how far you have walked, then how little you have eaten."
• "A well trained nurse is of more value than the patient’s doctors."

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