Diabetes history

How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
unknown. (the lord took them).

Snap Whipcrack.............. wrote:
> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> unknown. (the lord took them).

Diabetes Mellitus comes from the ancient Greek word for siphon, as in
excessive water, and mellitus from the Latin for honey. It is said that
the ancient test for DM was urinating on the ground to see if ants were
attracted to the sweetness. I prefer that version to the one that says
ancient medicos would taste your urine to see if it was sweet.

Consumption is an outmoded term for tuberculosis.

Jim

On Mar 3, 12:15�pm, "Snap Whipcrack.............." <s...@aol.com>
wrote:
> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> that when people died from it? Was it also called *consumption? or just
> unknown. (the lord took them).


This should answer some of your questions...

http://www.diabetes.ca/Section_About/timeline.asp


Kurt

In article <CHkGh.284$mI6.140@trndny08>, snapw@aol.com says...
> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> unknown. (the lord took them).
>
Type One has certainly existed in written history for thousands of
years. There are a couple of instances of an illness, which proved
invariably fatal and fast-moving, which fits the description of T1 onset
in Egyptian histories

Ratty

"Kurt" <kurtwheeling1965@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1172953930.964445.4830@30g2000cwc.googlegroup s.com...
On Mar 3, 12:15?pm, "Snap Whipcrack.............." <s...@aol.com>
wrote:
> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> unknown. (the lord took them).


This should answer some of your questions...

http://www.diabetes.ca/Section_About/timeline.asp


Kurt

Here is another diabetes timeline.
http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~abhu0.../timeline.html

Anon

Flying Rat wrote:
> In article <CHkGh.284$mI6.140@trndny08>, snapw@aol.com says...
>> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
>> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
>> unknown. (the lord took them).
>>
> Type One has certainly existed in written history for thousands of
> years. There are a couple of instances of an illness, which proved
> invariably fatal and fast-moving, which fits the description of T1 onset
> in Egyptian histories
>
> Ratty

So that means the bad gene has been spread and multiplied from ancient
times. Had that bad strain died out, there would be no diabetes today,
Just think of all the other possible bad things about genes that have
become extinct by natural selection.

On 3 Mar, 22:00, "Snap Whipcrack.............." <s...@aol.com> wrote:
> Flying Rat wrote:
> > In article <CHkGh.284$mI6.140@trndny08>, s...@aol.com says...
> >> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> >> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> >> unknown. (the lord took them).
>
>
> So that means the bad gene has been spread and multiplied from ancient
> times. Had that bad strain died out, there would be no diabetes today,
> Just think of all the other possible bad things about genes that have
> become extinct by natural selection.

The genes for Type 2 diabetes are so widespread and have been
carefully conserved and passed on over the millennia that one school
of thought says they are "good" genes which helped our primitive
ancestors survive in feast or famine situations.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that diabetes was first diagnosed by the
Ancient Eygptians - among the first people to have a secure supply of
carbs and a carb based diet.

On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 20:15:30 GMT, "Snap Whipcrack.............."
<snapw@aol.com> wrote:

>How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
>that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
>unknown. (the lord took them).

Diabetes is documented to have been known at least since the time of
the ancient Greeks. The very name, in Greek, means " siphon" , because
people with the disorder had to pee all the time....

Will, T2

On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 14:26:44 -0600, "J.C. Hartmann" <jch@meadecom.com>
wrote:

>
>Diabetes Mellitus comes from the ancient Greek word for siphon, as in
>excessive water, and mellitus from the Latin for honey. It is said that
>the ancient test for DM was urinating on the ground to see if ants were
>attracted to the sweetness. I prefer that version to the one that says
>ancient medicos would taste your urine to see if it was sweet.
>
>Consumption is an outmoded term for tuberculosis.
>
>Jim

Hi Jim,

Good post! I wish I had read it before I replied later in the
afternoon... I especially like the reference to not having to taste
the waters....

Will, T2

In article <CHkGh.284$mI6.140@trndny08>,
"Snap Whipcrack.............." <snapw@aol.com> wrote:

> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> unknown. (the lord took them).

Consumption was tuberculosis.

The ancient Greeks knew of diabetes and diagnosed it by tasting urine
(it would be sweet if the patient were dumping sugar).

Priscilla

On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:00:23 GMT, "Snap Whipcrack.............."
<snapw@aol.com> wrote:

>So that means the bad gene has been spread and multiplied from ancient
>times. Had that bad strain died out, there would be no diabetes today,
>Just think of all the other possible bad things about genes that have
>become extinct by natural selection.

It is not necessarily a "bad gene".... Theoretically, there are a
number of things that can cause T1 diabetes, including some flu
viruese... No one with T1 diabetes can say exactly what brought it
on... It is like being born. It just happens.It coule happen to you or
anyone you know.

Will, T2

In article <XdmGh.554$wc6.376@trndny05>,
"Snap Whipcrack.............." <snapw@aol.com> wrote:

> Flying Rat wrote:
> > In article <CHkGh.284$mI6.140@trndny08>, snapw@aol.com says...
> >> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> >> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> >> unknown. (the lord took them).
> >>
> > Type One has certainly existed in written history for thousands of
> > years. There are a couple of instances of an illness, which proved
> > invariably fatal and fast-moving, which fits the description of T1 onset
> > in Egyptian histories
> >
> > Ratty
>
> So that means the bad gene has been spread and multiplied from ancient
> times. Had that bad strain died out, there would be no diabetes today,
> Just think of all the other possible bad things about genes that have
> become extinct by natural selection.

I doubt it's one gene, and I doubt it's solely "bad."

Priscilla

On 3 Mar 2007 14:25:08 -0800, "Peter C"
<peter.corbally@btinternet.com> wrote:

>The genes for Type 2 diabetes are so widespread and have been
>carefully conserved and passed on over the millennia that one school
>of thought says they are "good" genes which helped our primitive
>ancestors survive in feast or famine situations.
>Perhaps it is no coincidence that diabetes was first diagnosed by the
>Ancient Eygptians - among the first people to have a secure supply of
>carbs and a carb based diet.

You may be on to something there, Peter.

Will, T2

In article <vze23t8n-AFE8F3.18040003032007@individual.net>,
vze23t8n@verizon.net says...
> In article <XdmGh.554$wc6.376@trndny05>,
> "Snap Whipcrack.............." <snapw@aol.com> wrote:
>
> > Flying Rat wrote:
> > > In article <CHkGh.284$mI6.140@trndny08>, snapw@aol.com says...
> > >> How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
> > >> that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
> > >> unknown. (the lord took them).
> > >>
> > > Type One has certainly existed in written history for thousands of
> > > years. There are a couple of instances of an illness, which proved
> > > invariably fatal and fast-moving, which fits the description of T1 onset
> > > in Egyptian histories
> > >
> > > Ratty
> >
> > So that means the bad gene has been spread and multiplied from ancient
> > times. Had that bad strain died out, there would be no diabetes today,
> > Just think of all the other possible bad things about genes that have
> > become extinct by natural selection.
>
> I doubt it's one gene, and I doubt it's solely "bad."
>
> Priscilla
>
The jury is still well and truly out on the T1 thing. There are several
strands of thinking that say it is a result of a number of factors
coming together, including external influences like a virus or other
infection starting the cascade towards beta cell destruction.

Just like T1 and T2 are very different but have similar symptoms, I've
also seen new ideas floated that there are several varieties of T1 onset
which although they have the same endpoint, have very different causes.
So it's not nearly as clear cut as saying it's a faulty gene.

Ratty

On Mar 3, 5:27?pm, Flying Rat <m...@privacy.net> wrote:
> The jury is still well and truly out on the T1 thing. There are several
> strands of thinking that say it is a result of a number of factors
> coming together, including external influences like a virus or other
> infection starting the cascade towards beta cell destruction.
>
> Just like T1 and T2 are very different but have similar symptoms, I've
> also seen new ideas floated that there are several varieties of T1 onset
> which although they have the same endpoint, have very different causes.
> So it's not nearly as clear cut as saying it's a faulty gene.

I agree, from what I've read there are many factors at play. Genetics
probably has some part in it since there seems to be so many who have
it "running in their family"...which is the case for me. Maybe that
makes us more predisposed to get a virus. There is so much that is
not known about diabetes, and as shown in this thread, it hasn't
really been that long since the discovery of insulin that has saved
millions of lives. One can only hope that the future will continue to
see advances in science and research. Until then we must all try to
stay as healthy as possible so we are still here when those
breakthroughs become a reality for the masses.

Kurt

[Default] On Sat, 03 Mar 2007 20:15:30 GMT, "Snap
Whipcrack.............." <snapw@aol.com> Giggled into the madness of
usenet:

>How long has diabetes been known about? What did they call it before
>that when people died from it? Was it also called consumption? or just
>unknown. (the lord took them).


diabetes was written about in plato's time.


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