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

狗狗在糖尿病領域教會了人類什麼? - 鄧肯 C. 弗格森

譯者: Sherry Chen 審譯者: Nod Chan

Diabetes mellitus has been a scourge of the developed world

糖尿病一直是現代文明社會中 使人聞之色變的疾病

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

全世界總計約有4億人口患有此疾

and 50% more predicted within twenty years.

在接下來的二十年中， 更有預計2億人會得糖尿病

Its early symptoms,

它的早期症狀包含不時感到口渴 及大量地排尿

which include increased thirst and large volumes of urine,

were recognized as far back as 1500 BCE in Egypt.

這是早在西元前1500年的埃及 就已經被發現的症狀

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

「糖尿病」一詞的原意是指「穿過、經歷」

was first used in 250 BCE

最早是在西元前250年由一位希臘醫生 Apollonius of Memphis

by the Greek physician Apollonius of Memphis,

Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes,

開始稱為第一型及第二型糖尿病

associated respectively with youth and obesity,

分別與其發病年齡的老幼有關

were identified as separate conditions

此區分是在西元五世紀時

by Indian physicians somewhere in the 5th century CE.

由印度的醫生所定義而成

But despite the disease being known,

然而，儘管糖尿病為世人所熟知， 當一個人被診斷出糖尿病時

a diagnosis of diabetes in a human patient

would remain tantamount to a death sentence

卻猶如被判死刑 直到20世紀初

until the early 20th century, its causes unknown.

糖尿病的病因仍不為人所知

What changed this dire situation

改變了這可怕局面的， 正是人類長久以來在動物界的好夥伴

was the help of humanity's longtime animal partner:

Canis lupus familiaris,

家犬類，又幾千年前的灰狼馴化演變而來

domesticated from Grey wolves thousands of years ago.

In 1890, the German scientists Von Mering and Minkowski

在1890年，德國科學家馮·梅林和閔可夫斯基

demonstrated that removing a dog's pancreas

展示了移除狗的胰腺

caused it to develop all the signs of diabetes,

能導致它出現各種糖尿病的症狀

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

因此，胰腺被確認為糖尿病的關鍵所在

But the exact mechanism by which this occurred

但這其中具體的原理仍是個謎， 直到1920年才被人解開

remained a mystery until 1920,

when a young Canadian surgeon named Frederick Banting

一個年輕的加拿大外科醫生弗雷德里克·班廷

and his student, Charles Best,

和他的學生查理斯·貝斯特， 在多倫多大學麥克勞德教授的手下

advanced the findings of their German colleagues.

Working under Professor Macleod at the University of Toronto,

進一步推進了兩位德國科學家前輩的研究發現

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

他們確認了胰腺是負責調整血糖的器官

successfully treating diabetic dogs by injecting them with an extract

並通過給得了糖尿病的狗 注射一種胰腺組織的提取物

they had prepared from pancreas tissue.

治好了這些狗的頑疾

By 1922, the researchers working with biochemist James Collip

到了1922年，與生物化學家 詹姆斯·科利普共事的研究者們

were able to develop a similar extract from beef pancreas

研發出一種近似牛胰腺的提取物

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

用以治療一個身患糖尿病的14歲男孩

followed by six additional patients.

之後，更又治療了6位病人

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

這種目前被稱為胰島素的提取物的批量生產

was eventually turned over to a pharmaceutical company

最終被一家製藥公司接手

that makes different types of injectable insulin to this day.

直至今日，他們生產了 各種不同的可注射型胰島素

Banting and Macleod received

班廷和麥克勞德也因他們的研究發現

the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1923 for their discovery.

而榮獲1923年的諾貝爾醫學獎

But Banting chose to share his portion with Charles Best,

但是班廷選擇將他的獎項 與查爾斯·貝斯特分享

for his help in the initial studies involving dogs.

因為後者在當時對狗 進行實驗的初期給予了他幫助

But while medical experimentation on animals remains controversial,

儘管在動物身上做醫學實驗 這一話題仍然充滿爭議

in this case at least,

但至少在這一例子中 這不單單是為了人類的利益而剝削狗

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,

在1000隻狗中，就會有2例糖尿病的出現

almost the same as that of humans under 20.

和20歲以下人群的患病機率一樣高

Most canine cases are of Type 1 diabetes,

大多數狗所得的糖尿病都是第一類

similar to the type that young children develop

類似人類兒童所患的類型

following immune system destruction of the pancreas,

伴隨著的症狀，是胰腺免疫系統的崩潰

and genetic studies have shown

而且，基因研究已經表明

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

狗的疾病在許多方面和人類疾病有共通之處

這讓獸醫得以反其道而行

This has allowed veterinarians to turn the tables,

successfully using insulin to treat diabetes

60年來成功地利用胰島素 治療了人類最好的夥伴

in man's best friend for over 60 years.

Many dog owners commit to managing their dogs' diabetes

許多狗地主人十分投入地 治療他們狗狗的糖尿病

with insulin injected twice daily, regimented feedings,

為狗狗一天注射兩次胰島素 節制餵食

and periodic blood measurements

並週期性地測量血壓

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

用的正是和人類糖尿病患者相同的 “家庭測試型血糖檢測器”

And if the purified pig insulin commonly used for dogs

如果通常給狗狗用的精制豬胰島素

fails to work for a particular dog,

在一隻狗狗身上無效

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

那麼獸醫可能甚至採用人類胰島素

bringing the process full circle.

來完善整個治療過程

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

別忘了幾個世紀以來 狗狗們為我們付出了那麼多

including their role in a medical discovery

包括他們在醫學發現中的貢獻 讓無數人得救

that has saved countless human lives,

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

用同樣的知識去幫助狗狗 也是我們人類的本分