Diabetes mellitus of juvenile onset with 40 years' survival and no gross damage. In-depth study of and by a 50-year-old physician.

Abstract

Insulin was first used for human diabetics in 1922. Not until 1959 would it be likely that any cases of 40 years' survival of insulin-dependent diabetics could be reported. A thorough search of the world medical literature back through 1959 reveals only two cases of juvenile onset insulin-dependent diabetics with 40 years' undamaged survival reported, both in the nonabstracted literature by Bloch and Korp1in 1963. One case, also in the German literature, of a maturity onset (age 26) insulin-dependent diabetic, was reported in 1967 by von Csapo and Hobi2as having survived without complications for more than 40 years. Although White passingly reported 19 patients surviving 40 to 45 years,3there was no discussion of those extraordinary patients in that article or subsequently, nor was there any implication they were not damaged. In response to specific inquiry about those patients, White did not claim lack or