Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin

by Deborah Kerbel, Angela Poon (Illustrator)

"Readers will want to dig deeper into this true story of canine heroes and lifesaving science." — 


In 1921, Frederick Banting was a young doctor with an idea: could the mysterious secretions of the pancreas be used to treat diabetes? We now call this substance insulin, and its life-saving discovery was an impactful milestone in medical science.



Banting and his assistant, Charles Best, worked together in a small lab to test the theory with street dogs. Banting formed a special bond with one of his test dogs and gave her a name: Marjorie. After Marjorie responded well to insulin treatments, the treatments went on to be used for humans with diabetes—and the results were deemed practically miraculous.



A real-life scientific milestone told in an innovative graphic novel format, the book also thoughtfully discusses the use of animals for medical research, including back matter on the subject and further information about diabetes.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Childrens, Science, Comics

56 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2021

About the author

Deborah Kerbel was born in London, England, but grew up in Toronto, Canada.
A finalist for the 2012 Governor General's Literary Award, the 2010 Canadian Library Association YA Book of the Year Award, 2019 Blue Spruce Award Honour Book, and winner of the 2020 IODE Jean Throop Book Award, Deborah is the author of ten books for young readers of all ages.
Currently, Deborah lives and writes in Thornhill, Ontario, with her husband, two book loving teens, and a schnoodle named Fred.
Visit her at www.deborahkerbel.ca

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfect introductory for honestly... anyone. I'm very thankful for the dog Marjorie and her help in creating insulin. Do I condone animal cruelty when doing scientific experiments? I do not. However, insulin is pretty neat and literally the only way people "survived" was by STARVING. And then they would just die from starving because there was lit'rally NO CURE for diabetes till Dr. Banting came around. So like... pretty dope. Also, the book talks about animal cruelty in the back, which I appreciated. I really do like to think that Dr. Banting was just doing all he could to save the children and all the future generations of diabetics to come. Check out this graphic novel!

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know what I was expecting from Fred & Marjorie but it certainly wasn’t a horror story about how many dogs were killed in the service of discovering insulin.

Was this important information to know? Yes, likely. Did it cause me some trauma that I’m still having trouble rectifying? Oh my yes. Should you read this to yourself to prepare yourself before jumping in and letting your kids read it? Absolutely. Then come up with some ways to talk about it with your kids (if you have kids who are reading it) that can contextualize the killing of dogs in the service of humanity.

The main reason I’m having trouble with this story is that upon first glance it seems like a book with a heroic connection between a man and his dog and how they saved lives, but it turns out that the actual connection between the (admittedly amateur) scientist “Fred” and the stray dog “Marjorie” is pretty minor. Yeah, Marjorie was accidentally the dog who gets the hero shot toward the end of the book, but the bond with Fred seems very cursory and perhaps even fabricated.

My main takeaway from the book was very briefly mentioned: the process for making Insulin was released into the public domain for the public good. But nevermind because big pharma will continuously update and patent new versions of insulin production over the years and it will eventually make billionaires out of the pharma bros.
Overpriced insulin makes me very very angry, so when I’m trying to set aside my despair at the number of dogs that were used as test subjects for this research, I plunge directly into a anti-pharma rage.

My apologies. Please remember that I am in no way writing a review. I’m just reacting to the reading, and this particular reading was a bit of a roller coaster not entirely of its own making.

The pictures were lovely. There were gaps in the story that were explained in the end notes, but I wish I knew more about some of the pieces of this story. Sometimes there were facets of it that just didn’t fit together for me and I couldn’t tell if I was just too impatient or if it was a matter of plotting or if there just wasn’t the material to draw on.

Look, I’m glad I read this. It’s good context for current U.S. insulin woes. And it makes me want to learn more about how we went from point A to point Z. Currently people are dying because they can’t afford medicine that should be free. It’s crazy making, and having this context helps me place insulin in history.
I feel like I’m spinning my wheels now. Gotta go lie down for awhile.

https://medium.com/the-pour-over/a-do...

[Theresa Gonzales Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hits very close to home. I purchased this graphic novel for my son as a Christmas gift. I wanted to read it and thought it was a good book. I know the subject of using dogs for science is very controversial, but for me these dogs are heroes. My son is alive today because of their sacrifices. I wish the book gave more details and expanded on the story. Overall, I am very glad this book exists and now my son has a new understanding about insulin.

[Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story on how a dog helped discover treatment for diabetics. I understand why he did it and I’m thankful diabetics don’t die now. But, the way the testing was preformed to find a “cure” saddens me to no end.

[Blair Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

We bought this school-age graphic book after our 12yo son was diagnosed with T1D just before Christmas last month. It is a clear and concise retelling of the story of Doctor Banting and his assistant Best, who discovered insulin in l921 and doing so, saved the lives of hundreds of millions of people around the world.

It's a little bit upsetting if you think too long and hard about the poor dogs who suffered through their research, but this mother's heart of mine is so grateful for their sacrifice. Because of this research and the incredible advancements made in diabetes research and treatment in the past 101 years, my son has a long, healthy life ahead of him. My heart breaks for the children and families of the people who died of the "wasting disease" before this incredibly important discovery.

[Jodi Pilling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned something new! I had no idea how insulin was discovered. Marjorie will forever be a hero to me. Pulled at my heartstrings to learn of her sacrifice so that millions of people can have the lifesaving insulin.

[Elizabeth Mellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and Owlkids for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review.

😭😭😭 This was very interesting and informative, and so sad. I’m not surprised or bothered in theory that science advances by real life testing and that often involves animals, but it still had me very emotional. I didn’t realize that insulin was so “young”, like my grandma was born before insulin existed. It’s amazing how far that has come in that time to modern insulin pumps.

[Alex D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin is an award-winning book for “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students in 2022 (Published in 2021)”. Located on the National Teaching Association Website provided by the course’s Wakelet, I read this ebook on Epic! I appreciated the fact that the pages were big and I could zoom into the different panels of the graphic novel to see the details of architecture, clothing, and furnishings in different settings.

The book opens with a residency doctor, Fred Banting, at a Children’s Hospital in the 1920s in Toronto. After a long surgery, he communicates to a family that their daughter has juvenile diabetes. This disease called the “wasting-away disease” was a fatal disease because it led to starvation. After his residency was completed, he traveled to London, Ontario, and got a job working part-time as an instructor. One day, he had to teach a lesson on the pancreas- something he knew nothing about! This sparked an idea about finding a solution to treat diabetes.

He started a project with Charley Best in a small lab over the summer to see if insulin provided by the pancreas could save lives. To test the theory, the two men used street dogs. After the pancreas was removed from the test subjects, some animals didn’t survive surgery while others got infections. Fred created a strong bond with one dog in particular who he named Marjorie, Dog 33. Marjorie responded well to the secretions from the pancreas and she lived for 70 days. After this lifesaving discovery, the treatments were used on children and had tremendous results. Sadly, it led to the death of the beloved dog. An author’s note in the back of the book provides readers with more background information.

The graphic novel has great pastel palette illustrations to support the writing. The pictures contain a lot of details that catch the reader’s attention. Poon’s illustrations really focus on facial expressions.

A good read for fourth graders to sixth graders because these canine heroes could be disturbing to young readers and give rise to uncomfortable emotions. In the classroom, some really important conversations could take place about lessons on the pancreas disease, life-changing science, and the use of animals for medical research. The book is condensed, so the class could retell the important events in the story. Additional text about this topic could also be provided to groups of students and students could share new findings and research.

[Stephanie Flint · Rating 4 out of 5]

I located this book using the National Science Teaching Association website (www.nsta.org). Fred and Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin was awarded the Outstanding Science Trade Books Award in 2022 by NSTA. Additionally, this title has been awarded the 2021 Junior Library Guild Selection, featured on the 2021 ALA Best Graphic Novels for Children Reading List, a 2022 Best Children’s Book of the Year, and many more awards and mentions.

This innovating graphic novel is based on the true story of the life-saving discovery of Insulin. Set in 1921, this biography follows the young Dr. Frederick Banting as he tests his theory of Insulin to help treat juvenile diabetes. Dr. Banting tests his hypothesis on sheltered street dogs leading to him developing a strong bond with a dog he names Marjorie. After Marjorie responds well to the insulin treatments it is time to start treatments on humans. The back matter of the text includes further information about diabetes, discussions of ethics on animal experimentation and photos.

I read this book in traditional print format from my local public library. The illustrator, Angela Poon, uses detailed drawings that match the period in which the story is set. The yellowish-tint helps the reader understand that this story is set in the past. She uses white framing around the various scenes that all the reader to understand the course of the story. The images and words within the text worked well together to assure the reader fully understands the content.

The difficult discussion points of disease, medical testing with animals, research processes and higher levels of vocabulary use make this text ideal for upper elementary and middle school aged students. This book can be used as a mentor text for a biography research project as well as cause and effect. This book would also be ideal for inclusion as it teaches about the two types of diabetes, the effects it has on children, the purpose of insulin and so much more.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel is based on the true events that lead to the discovery that would easily save over 100 million people: insulin. Simple text show events of the early 1920s that made it possible to treat type 1 diabetes. If you are not pro-animal research, this will be disturbing. Illustrations that are tasteful.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much in this tiny graphic novel. Even having a cousin with type 1 diabetes I’ve never learned the history of the disease. I was absolutely horrified! I didn’t know that diabetes used to be a death sentence for children! I am so incredibly grateful to Dr. Fred Banting and his crew of stray dogs who discovered insulin and its uses in treating the disease. It also highlights the points of view surrounding animal testing. No easy answers here!

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh, the tears

[Roglin]

I don't know how to rate this, simply because of the conflict I feel.

I cried for the stray dogs that lost their lives to the testing and the poor living conditions. Yet at the same time, insulin is a miracle and has allowed so many people to live.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short (55 pages) graphic novel about Fred Banting's search to cure type 1 diabetes.

Set in Toronto, Canada, Fred and student assistant, Charles Best, spend a summer using a research lab testing Banting's theory on stray dogs.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad.

If you are a dog lover and are opposed to medical testing on animals (purposefully making them ill and experimentally treating them until they die of the illness they have been given) avoid this book.

Putting that aside, the illustrations are lovely, the doctor doing the research comes across as compassionate, or at least regretful, in spite of the lethal experimentation he undertakes to test his theory that insulin injections will save lives of patients suffering and dying from diabetes, particularly juvenile diabetes.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

The way this nonfiction book tells the story of Dr. Fred Banting discovering insulin is both interesting and horrific at the same time. I can't help but think there had to be a better way to do the research. There was a suggestion at one point when they talked about using a cow that was scheduled for a slaughterhouse anyway. I am not the type to question the necessity of research on animals, but I don't think this is a subject for children. It was depressing and, in my own head, too graphic.

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It will be released August 15, 2021 by Owlkids.

In 1920, Frederick Banting worked at at the hospital for sick children in Toronto, Canada. He watched young people waste away and die from juvenile diabetes. Doctors knew that the disease was connected to the pancreas and had something to do with being unable to break down sugar. They just didn't understand how it all worked.
His position in Toronto was only temporary, so Banting went on to set up a private practice in London, Ontario. There must have been an overabundance of doctors because it wasn't a success. He ended up getting a job teaching anatomy and surgery at the University of Western Ontario. He never forgot those sick children.

While preparing a lesson on the pancreas, Banting had an aha moment. He discussed his new idea for a treatment for diabetes with J. J. R. Macleod, Professor of physiology. Banting was an orthopedic surgeon with no background in research or diabetes. Still, he was given funding for a lab for one summer, an assistant, Charles Best, and a group of dogs to work with. They removed the pancreas from half the dogs to make them diabetic. They lost many dogs before managing to isolate a mysterious secretion from one dog in the other group. They gave this to one of the diabetic ones and it was a success. In spite of Best's warnings, Banting grew emotionally attached to the dogs they worked with, especially Marjorie, a stray that followed him home. In fact, Banting considered the dogs to be heroes whose role in the research was as important, maybe even more important than the researchers themselves.

At the end of the summer Professor Macleod extended their use of the lab and finally gave them salaries for their work. They managed to keep Marjorie alive for more than 70 days. At one point Fred tested the insulin on himself to prove that it wasn't toxic for humans. Eventually Macleod brought in James Collip, a biochemist to work them to purify the extract for humans.

In 1922, Leonard Thompson, a fourteen year old boy, received the first shot of the newly purified insulin. He began to improve almost immediately.

I appreciate how Angela Poon's artwork places the reader right into the 1920's. The lab Banting and Best worked in is very different from labs of today! I appreciate the details in the characters faces. If I can find out more about her process I will add that information. I want to know how she manages to capture the essence of the times so brilliantly!

There is an author's note in the back matter with additional information about the discovery of insulin. There is also a section on ethics and the controversial use of animals in research. If readers want to learn more, there a bibliography titled Sources.

We need more stories like this one. We need to be inspired by the generosity and humanitarianism of people like Banting, Best, and Collip. We need more people like them. These men, who created the formula for insulin, sold their rights for the treatment for $1 each. None of them were rich. In fact, Banting barely made ends meet until he was finally given a salary.

In contrast, today disaster capitalists manufacturer and sell insulin at prices so high that individuals with the disease die because they can't afford their medication.

Preorder this one for your libraries.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 9. Although I had always been a small and somewhat sickly child, my acute symptoms developed rapidly, and I quickly fell into diabetic ketoacidosis, even though my parents rushed me to the hospital as soon as they realized something was wrong. I nearly went into a coma and am lucky to have survived. I learned about Frederick Banting and Charles Best early in my diagnosis, and they have been my heroes ever since. Not so many years before I was diagnosed, I would have faced a long and agonizing death of starvation with my disease, but because of the discovery of insulin, I'm still here and kicking.

Insulin delivery and diabetes management has come a long way since I was diagnosed in 1997. And yet it is still a disease that requires an intense, constant amount of energy and focus to manage. On top of that, the cost of insulin has risen astronomically since I was a child, and it wasn't cheap back then either. Millions of people around the world would literally die within days if they did not have access to insulin, and while insurance pays for some people, millions forego other necessities such as food and shelter to be able to buy insulin. This is what you need to know: that Banting and Best sold their rights to the production of insulin for a dollar; their only motivation was to save as many children as possible from the horrifying effects of diabetes. And now, a bottle of insulin that lasts me approximately three weeks cost hundreds of dollars. I am one of the lucky ones with insurance that covers most of this cost. Even though insulin has never been easier or more efficient to extract, people are dying every day because of the prohibitive cost of this life-saving treatment.

Soap box aside, I loved learning about Marjorie and being reminded of Banting's love of animals and tender care of his dogs. This graphic novel taught me a few details that I didn't know about Banting and Best's work. One thing this book did not mention was that Banting had a friend in childhood who died at the age of 10 from diabetes. As a young boy, he was a first-hand observer of her brutal illness and death. He never forgot her, and she was a source of his inspiration to find a treatment for this disease.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel picture book that tells the true story of how Fred Banting along with Charles Best, J.R.R. Macleod, and James B. Collip used experiments with dogs to develop insulin and save children from dying of diabetes.

I really appreciate the notes in the back of the book about what is true and what is imagined, and both sides of the debate on whether or not it is ethical to use animals in medical testing. The book itself is matter of fact in relating the history, but also tactful in how things are presented (like surgeries are briefly talked about but never shown). I do appreciate that it is documented how much Banting loved dogs and how when he lost any of the dogs in the experiment it really broke his heart and he promised that Marjorie would be remembered. The illustrations are fantastic and help convey the time period and emotions of the people involved. I’m sure it will be mind-boggling to many readers that a childhood diabetes diagnosis used to be a death sentence. This is a fairly quick read, as it is only 56 pages long, so a very approachable nonfiction picture book/graphic novel for middle grades about a very important discovery in medical history.

Notes on content: No language issues or sexual content. There are some dog deaths mentioned. Deaths of children with diabetes are also mentioned.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Andrea Pole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred and Marjorie by Deborah Kerbel tells the remarkable story of Dr. Frederick Banting, and his life-saving discovery of insulin in 1921. Along with his assistant Charles Best, and numerous street dogs, Dr. Banting was able to experiment on the pancreas, his research leading to the discovery of insulin which has saved countless lives over the last century.

While the story offers scientific data, it is presented in such an accessible way that most school-aged children will easily grasp the subject matter. The relationship between Dr. Banting and his test subjects, particularly a stray named Marjorie, is quite moving, and a fitting tribute to the sacrifice of these heroic animals.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for an ARC of this title.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that takes us out of the bubble of pretending that animals don't die every day in service to humans -- as test subjects, as food, as collateral damage -- and while I don't rejoice in that knowledge, I am grateful for it. I was not expecting this when I picked up the book. I appreciate that it is a clear explanation about the history of Diabetes and the discovery of Insulin. I also appreciate that it's a tremendously good book about the history of medicine. I appreciate that it doesn't shy away from tough subjects, and that Fred mourned his test subjects. It's almost more of a picture book than a graphic novel, so I don't think of it as a particularly deep level of narrative or character development.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this from NetGalley and Owlkids Books. A carefully written graphic novel by Deborah Kerbel of pretty, detailed drawings by Angela Poon. Based on a true story of the discovery of insulin, Fred & Marjorie is educational as well as an interesting and well paced story for anyone, but especially kids. It is well researched with the true story at the end, and provides many of the important details without overwhelming. The illustrations are old fashioned looking to meet with the time period and provide subtle clues in art to know location/setting, time period, etc. The book was overall enjoyable. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion. A must have for school libraries. 5 stars.

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this on a cart at work, and I was wholly unprepared to be taken on such an emotional journey at 930 in the morning. I'm a pet parent and the aunt of 2 diabetic kids, so this one really hit me in the feelings.

This is beautifully illustrated, fact-filled, and heartbreaking. It's so easy to forget how recently a lot of medical breakthroughs really were and how much work has gone into every medication behind the pharmacy counter. Angela Poon is a gifted illustrator - on more than one page, the look on a dog's or human's face was enough to tell me what was happening without reading the text.

I also appreciated the section at the end that discussed the ethics of animal experimentation.

[Season Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book for helping others understand type 1 diabetes! I’m so thankful for Dr. Banting and Marjorie! Before this research, type 1 diabetes was a death sentence! Today, because if this important research, we can live. Type 1 is so often misunderstood. I recommend this book to everyone. Warning: Dr. Banting used animals to do his research, so if you have a problem with animals used for research (even though this is a true story of a doctor and dogs who worked to save lives), this may not be the book for you . What makes the story bearable is that he truly loved and respected the animals and their lives.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic Non-Fiction
I received an electronic ARC from Owlkids Books through NetGalley.
Kerbel takes readers through the history of Doctors Banting and Best as they worked to help children survive Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1). Dr. Banting had an idea in the night and, with Dr. Best, pursued it through trials using dogs. The book takes readers through Dr. Banting's residency until it is used in the first human trials. Further informative text is provided at the end.
A first look at this process for middle grade readers.

[Elizabeth Hassinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book hits a little close to home. This past June my daughter at 8.5 was diagnosed as a T1D. Shortly after diagnosis she had a dream in which she died because there was no insulin. I am very fortunate to be living in a time when we have have a way forward. I’m also fortunate enough to be able to afford her insulin. I think often of those lost to rationing their supply because it is too expensive. It’s so sad that big pharmaceutical companies put profits before people unlike Fred. I’m grateful for books such as these that can educate others.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The graphic novel format worked very well for this historical topic. I like how the author includes back matter: notes, sources and a page about the "ethical dilemma" about using animals as medical research subjects. The author takes on a huge task in creating a kid friendly book about a topic that is controversial and sad! Well done! I am thinking that this book is appropriate especially with upper elementary students, but probably not for my 2nd grader readers who love their graphic novels! Two thumbs up!

[Sesana]

This seems like an odd choice for children's nonfiction. Yes, the story of the development of insulin is extremely important, and there are many children who use insulin or have loved ones who do that would take a personal interest in it. But it's also an extremely grim story, with a lot of animals dying horribly. It's definitely sanitized for young readers, but it was still a difficult read for me. Then again, I'm unusually sensitive to stories where bad things happen to animals. Just don't hand this to a child expecting it to be a lovely story about a partnership between man and animal.

[Megan Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is targeted for older elementary school students to early middle school. I find the set-up of this book to be unique as it is set up to look like a comic book. I was not expecting that and think it was a great idea for this story, showing many illustrations and creative way of text. This is a true story shown through drawn illustrations of a heroic doctor and dog who's discovery of insulin has saved many people today. This story is a great example of a real-life hero and is very inspiring.

[Jeannie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh heck no! The shape and length of this book make it look like fairly early elementary age (that's where it was shelved in my public library) but that seems like a horrible idea. This isn't so much a hero dog story such as Balto; it's an abused dog story and I don't even particularly like dogs.

On the plus side, the illustrations are beautiful and the doctor is portrayed as a fully dimensional character. It's an interesting, albeit hard, story. I can't imagine a child with diabetes not feeling both gratitude and also sadness after experiencing this