Winner's curse: The sad aftermath of the discovery of insulin

• Published in: Diabetic medicine Vol. 38; no. 12; pp. e14677 - n/a
• Main Authors: Wright, James R., Gale, Edwin A. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2021
• Subjects: Bertram Collip; Charles Best; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus - history; Drug Discovery - history; Fame; Frederick Banting; History of medicine; History, 20th Century; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - history; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Insulin; Insulin - history; Insulin - pharmacology; Internal Medicine - history; JJR Macleod; medical history; Medical research; Professional relationships; Researchers; Charles Best; Bertram Collip; Frederick Banting; insulin; medical history; JJR Macleod
• ISSN: 0742-3071; 1464-5491
• DOI: 10.1111/dme.14677

Every young researcher dreams of making a great discovery, but few achieve it. If they do, success does not guarantee happiness. There is little satisfaction in discovering something if others get the credit, and those who achieve fame must face the ‘winner's curse’ of living up to their reputation. Few discoveries have been more dramatic than the isolation of insulin which, as Michael Bliss said, resembled a secular miracle. And yet, as he also pointed out, this great discovery brought little happiness to those who made it. Some were sidelined, and Banting and Best were saddled with the winner's curse. Here, we look at the ways in which a great discovery can haunt its discoverers.