time-line of our understanding of diabetes highlighting the key points of progress

Ancient Times (1552 BC): The earliest known mention of diabetes symptoms was in an Egyptian manuscript, where symptoms like frequent urination and weight loss were described.

Ancient India (600 BC): Ancient Indian physicians noted that ants were attracted to the urine of people with a mysterious debilitating disease - a reference to the excess sugar in the urine of people with diabetes.

Ancient Greece (150 AD): The Greek physician Arateus coined the term "diabetes," meaning "a siphon," referring to the excessive amount of urine produced by patients.

Middle Ages (11th Century): Avicenna, a Persian physician, provided a detailed account on diabetes and described the abnormal appetite and the collapse of sexual functions associated with it.

17th Century: Thomas Willis, an English physician, discovered that the urine of diabetics was sweet-tasting, hence the term "mellitus," meaning "honeyed," was added to the disease's name.

19th Century: In 1869, Paul Langerhans, a German pathologist, discovered the islet cells of the pancreas, which would later be found to produce insulin.

Early 20th Century (1921): Canadian scientists Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin, revolutionizing the treatment of diabetes.

Mid 20th Century (1959): Two types of diabetes were recognized: Type 1 (insulin-dependent) and Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent).

Late 20th Century (1970s-1980s): The first blood glucose meter was invented, and the A1C test was developed to measure average blood glucose control.

Early 21st Century (2006): The FDA approved the first artificial pancreas system.

Present Day: Research continues to improve diabetes management and treatment, with advancements in continuous glucose monitoring systems, insulin pumps, and research into islet cell transplants and stem cell therapy.