![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphIKaHOS2kVvTsn0bufuBvqOZgGCCQatxYfLSWp_pMPqfaOM9qdfNp5X8mLEY3EOTfgU0nrCXtHzlwSbpwg89SUZ4l-g9NiAAkpwwZ4XkX6meS1K3g4Xu1Jn_vcQYC5SWrXuAW2Q3Urfn/s320/imagesCA46TDL6.jpg)
Then, I thought about my diabetes.....how the heck would i manage it back then??? My father grew up in the 1950s and has told me many stories about his aunt. She had type 1 diabetes and the way she managed it sounds absolutely horrific...even in the 1950s and 60s! This made me want to do a little research on managing diabetes in the 1930s and 40s.
According to my research, my doctors would not know that I am a type 1 diabetic because the two types were not distinguished until 1936. Although, I would have insulin! Yay!....BUT I would probably be reusing and boiling needles...OUCH. I would also be able to manage my diabetes, to some extent, through dietary interventions....the dietary exchange system!I was surprised to learn that this has been around for so long.
Today, I test my blood glucose at least ten times a day....in the 1930s and 40s I would not have this privilege. The first glucometer was not introduced for use in a doctor's office until 1970. Accu-Check developed the first self-blood glucose monitor in 1983. This means I would most likely be using "dip and read" tests, monitoring my blood glucose levels through my urine. I currently only do this when my blood glucose has been over 250mg/dL for an extended period of time to test for ketones. I would hate to rely on it for daily monitoring!
One of the reasons I enjoy seeing my endocrinologist every three months is because I get to have my HbA1c tested. This gives me a nice "big picture" of my overall blood glucose for the past three months. If I was a 1930s or 40s housewife...I would not have this opportunity. The HbA1c test was not introduced until 1976.
Overall, I can say.....diabetes was not fun in the 1930s and 40s and I would definitely not enjoy managing it during that period! Thank goodness for science is all I have to say. I am so thankful for my tiny glucometers, my lovely insulin pump, my new continuous glucose monitor, single-use (tiny gauge) syringes.....pretty much every aspect of my current regimen......I AM SO THANKFUL. Of course there's always room for improvement...I would love for a nice artificial pancreas or cure sometime in the future...but until then...thank you to all the researchers who have contributed to the field of diabetes research!!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0bYAlN7DHoLWSpVg000bcuuqfEwr7qkc74SOsX35LZgF-DRWidhnteX6NUd0eOzlXCAqSwjjge3PQbeoZuSGuxwwnrv0z4XRNL3c-j-ixyoYjjy6NsEp3da0xrfFA_VzQcN7yf2qGMrCn/s320/bant3a.jpg)
After insulin was introduced for commercial use in the 1920s...this is one of the injection kits that was available.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHhJUm8awY5Rf6brTq6rNFO2NjfBBp9WZ1GOPKaBfZJehcUFQ-pIcsgb8PlKVGeRmzpM1txeA7K2GyQyL8W5GdpXpZIXYDGCwqfg1EAfve3jMlV6EQ_1zwhxvwwk80CBfJ7BGplSLj7d8/s320/arm_closed.jpg)
This was the first glucometer developed by Ames....HUGE.
References:
http://www.defeatdiabetes.org/about_diabetes/text.asp?id=Diabetes_Timeline
http://www.diabetesindia.com/diabetes/history_diabetes5.htm
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