What did dogs teach humans about diabetes? - Duncan C. Ferguson

关于糖尿病，狗教会人类什么？－ 邓肯·C·费格逊

翻译人员: Wen Chen 校对人员: Feifei Yan

Diabetes mellitus has been a scourge of the developed world

糖尿病已经成为发达国家的一大杀手

with an estimated 400,000,000 people worldwide suffering from this disease,

全世界据估计已有4亿人患上糖尿病

and 50% more predicted within twenty years.

而在未来二十年内，这个数字预计会增加50%

Its early symptoms,

它的早期症状，包括口渴、多尿

which include increased thirst and large volumes of urine,

were recognized as far back as 1500 BCE in Egypt.

早在公元前 1500 年前的埃及就已被发现

While the term diabetes, meaning "to pass through,"

而“糖尿病”这个词，其本意是“通过”

was first used in 250 BCE

最早是在公元前250年 由希腊医生孟菲斯提出的

by the Greek physician Apollonius of Memphis,

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes,

1型糖尿病和2型糖尿病的发病机理不同

associated respectively with youth and obesity,

分别与年龄和肥胖有关

were identified as separate conditions

这两种类型的区分

by Indian physicians somewhere in the 5th century CE.

是在5世纪时由某地的印度医生提出

But despite the disease being known,

尽管糖尿病早就被人们所认识

a diagnosis of diabetes in a human patient

可一直到20世纪初，被诊断出 患了糖尿病还是跟被判了死刑差不多

would remain tantamount to a death sentence

until the early 20th century, its causes unknown.

因为它的诱因不明

What changed this dire situation

帮助我们脱离这个困境的 是人类一直以来的动物伙伴：

was the help of humanity's longtime animal partner:

Canis lupus familiaris,

数千年前从灰狼驯化而成的——犬类

domesticated from Grey wolves thousands of years ago.

In 1890, the German scientists Von Mering and Minkowski

1890年，德国科学家冯·梅林（von Mering）和明科夫斯基（Minkowski）发现

demonstrated that removing a dog's pancreas

摘除狗的胰腺

caused it to develop all the signs of diabetes,

会导致糖尿病的所有症状

thus establishing the organ's central role in the disease.

由此确立了胰脏对于糖尿病的核心作用

But the exact mechanism by which this occurred

然而这其中的确切机理一直是个谜

remained a mystery until 1920,

when a young Canadian surgeon named Frederick Banting

直到1920年，一个名叫弗雷德里克·班廷（Frederick Banting）的年轻的加拿大医生

and his student, Charles Best,

和他的学生查尔斯·贝斯特（Charles Best）才进一步证实了他们的德国同事们的发现

advanced the findings of their German colleagues.

Working under Professor Macleod at the University of Toronto,

在多伦多大学教授麦克劳德 （Macleod）的带领下

they confirmed that the pancreas was responsible for regulating blood glucose,

他们证实，胰腺是负责调节血糖的

successfully treating diabetic dogs by injecting them with an extract

通过注射胰腺组织的提取物

they had prepared from pancreas tissue.

他们成功治愈了患糖尿病的狗

By 1922, the researchers working with biochemist James Collip

到1922年，这些研究者又与生物学家 詹姆斯·科利普（James Collip）一起

were able to develop a similar extract from beef pancreas

从牛的胰腺中得到一种相似的提取物

to first treat a 14-year-old diabetic boy,

并首次治疗了一个十四岁的糖尿病男孩

followed by six additional patients.

接着又治疗了另外六位病人

The manufacturing process for this extract, now known as insulin,

这种提取物 （也就是现在为人熟知的胰岛素）的生产

was eventually turned over to a pharmaceutical company

最终被交付给一家制药公司

that makes different types of injectable insulin to this day.

如今他们已经生产了 各种各样的注射用胰岛素

Banting and Macleod received

班廷和麦克劳德

因此获得了1923年的诺贝尔医学奖

the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923 for their discovery.

But Banting chose to share his portion with Charles Best,

但班廷选择与查尔斯·贝斯特分享他的奖金

for his help in the initial studies involving dogs.

以感谢他在最初的研究中引入了狗

But while medical experimentation on animals remains controversial,

虽然将动物用于医学试验仍然颇具争议

in this case at least,

但至少在这个例子中 并不只是利用狗来满足人类需求而已

it was not just a matter of exploiting dogs for human needs.

Dogs develop diabetes at the rate of two cases per 1,000 dogs,

一千条狗中就有两例患有糖尿病

almost the same as that of humans under 20.

这几率几乎跟20岁以下的人类一样

Most canine cases are of Type 1 diabetes,

大多数的犬病例是1型糖尿病

similar to the type that young children develop

跟儿童或青少年中

following immune system destruction of the pancreas,

胰腺免疫系统损坏造成的糖尿病类似

and genetic studies have shown

遗传学研究表明

that the dog disease has many similar hallmarks of the human disease.

犬类疾病与人类疾病还有很多相似之处

这也令兽医们改变了局面

This has allowed veterinarians to turn the tables,

successfully using insulin to treat diabetes

他们已经成功地利用胰岛素为人类最好的朋友治疗糖尿病超过60年

in man's best friend for over 60 years.

Many dog owners commit to managing their dogs' diabetes

许多狗主人致力于治疗他们的糖尿病犬

with insulin injected twice daily, regimented feedings,

这包括每天两次的胰岛素注射，定量喂食

and periodic blood measurements

他们还用人类患者使用的家用血糖监测仪

using the same home-testing glucose monitors used by human patients.

来定期地测量血糖

And if the purified pig insulin commonly used for dogs

如果犬类常用的纯化猪胰岛素

fails to work for a particular dog,

对某条狗不见效

the vet may even turn to a formulation of human insulin,

兽医甚至会转用人类用胰岛素的制剂

bringing the process full circle.

可以说是“以其犬之道，还治其犬之身”

After all that dogs have done for us throughout the ages,

一直以来狗为我们做了太多

including their role in a medical discovery

它们在医学发现中扮演的重要角色 拯救了无数人命

that has saved countless human lives,

using that same knowledge to help them is the least we could do.

我们最基本的回报的就是 运用这些知识反过来帮助他们