Observations on the Effect of Insulin in Thin Persons

Since its discovery, insulin has been employed as a therapeutic agent in a variety of miscellaneous disorders. Favorable results from its use have been reported, for example, in such apparently divergent conditions as cardiac decompensation,¹scleroderma,²cancer,³toxemia of pregnancy,⁴certain types of uterine hemorrhages,⁵morphinism,⁶tuberculosis,⁷to make premature infants gain weight,⁸peptic ulcer,⁹neurosis,¹⁰hyperthyroidism,¹¹rickets,¹²pellagra,¹³chronic ulcers and circulatory disturbances of the extremities,¹⁴and even to hasten the healing of experimental fractures.¹⁵But, next to its value in the treatment of diabetes, insulin appears to have its greatest practical usefulness in the treatment of nondiabetic malnutrition. American pediatricians were the first to use the drug for this purpose. In 1923, Pitfield¹⁶injected 1 unit of insulin a day in two patients with infantile inanition, with a resulting gain in weight.