Did Banting really steal credit for insulin from Best?
That's a common misconception. Charles Best was my assistant, and we worked side by side in the lab. I never stole credit from him. When I was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923, I was furious that Best wasn't included. I immediately announced I would share my prize money with him. In fact, I said publicly that Best deserved equal recognition. The Nobel committee later acknowledged this was a mistake. The discovery was a team effort: Best did the blood sugar measurements, I did the surgeries, and later James Collip purified the extract. It's not about who gets the credit; it's about getting the job done. Anyone who says I stole credit ignores the historical record—I insisted on Best's inclusion from the start. We must be ruthless with our own ideas, but generous with our colleagues.
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