Effects of Standard, Protamine and Crystalline Insulin on Blood Sugar Levels

During the past few months there have been several reports on the use of protamine insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The first reports were those of Hagedorn and his co-workers1from Copenhagen, who combined insulin with a monoprotamine which was buffered atpH7.3, approximating that of blood serum. Root, White, Marble and Stotz2reported their clinical results at the same time. More recently Lawrence and Archer,3Kerr, Best, Campbell and Fletcher4and Sprague and Blum and their associates5have reported essentially the same results. Previously cited investigators stated that the chief advantages of protamine insulin lie in the following observations: The rate of absorption was slower than with regular insulin. Its action on reducing the blood sugar level was more prolonged than the action of standard insulin. Hypoglycemic reactions occurred less frequently and were milder in character when