Canadian Mint unveils Toonie to mark 100th anniversary of insulin discovery
Posted Jul 13, 2021 10:17 am.
Last Updated Jul 13, 2021 12:07 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The Royal Canadian Mint has issued a new Toonie to mark the 100th anniversary of a Canadian medical breakthrough that changed the world.
The $2 coin celebrates the discovery of insulin, thanks to the collaboration of Sir Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip, and John Macleod.
Banting came up with the hypothesis a pancreatic substance could be extracted as a possible treatment for diabetes. Macleod provided a laboratory and equipment, and Best served as a lab assistant. Collip purified insulin extracts to be used for diabetes treatment.
Their work won a Nobel prize in 1921 and is considered one of the 20th century’s most important medical discoveries, saving millions of lives that would previously have been cut short by diabetes.
“The Mint has the unique privilege of creating lasting reminders of Canadian achievements through coins and it is proud that its newest $2 circulation coin celebrates the 100th anniversary of Canada’s discovery of insulin,” said Marie Lemay, the Mint’s president and CEO.
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Lemay says the new commemorative circulation coin is a “heartfelt and enduring ‘thank you’ to the talented researchers.”
The commemorative side of the coin features a monomer, which is a building block of the insulin molecule. Scientific instruments (vial, mortar and pestle, and Erlenmeyer flask) are also featured. They were used in the early formulation of insulin. All of that is overlaid on a maple leaf, as well as depictions of red blood cells, glucose, and insulin molecules.
The words “INSULIN”/”INSULINE” and the years “1921” and “2021” appear on the outer ring of the coin, which was designed by Jesse Koreck, an artist from Ontario.
There are two million coloured versions of the coin, as well as one million uncoloured versions, now in circulation. The coloured coins display the insulin monomer in blue, to represent diabetes awareness.
“Although insulin brought miraculous change in life expectancy and quality of life for millions of people around the world, it is not a cure. Together with the support of Canadians and Canada’s researchers, we will continue the legacy of Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip and John Macleod and end diabetes,” said Laura Syron, president and CEO of Diabetes Canada.
