Hans Christian Hagedorn, 1888-1971
Hans Christian Hagedorn is best known for founding Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium (Nordisk Insulin laboratory) and later creating the diabetic treatment NPH Insulin. Today NPH remains the most widely sold insulin preparation in the world.
Hagedorn was born in Copenhagen on the 6th of March in 1888. His father owned a massive steamboat and tooled around with the young Hans, moving freight and also providing education in some sort of floating teaching institute.
By the age of seven, Hans was hooked on science. He even went so far to explore the science of examining dog, um, excrement with his sister. Fun times.
He earned a medical degree and - at one point - assisted the great Niels Bohr's father, Christian.
By 1918, after a series of personal problems followed by stability in western Denmark, Hans had developed - with pharmacist Birger Norman Jensen - a method for measuring glucose levels. It would be from heretofore referred to as the Hagedorn-Norman Jensen method and would be used nearly exclusively for the next forty years.
Hagedorn continued to study blood sugar and in 1936 - with Norman Jensen - patented NPH, a long lasting insulin treatment for diabetic patients.
In 1989, Nordisk merged with Novo Industri and became today's Novo Nordisk.
Hagedorn himself developed diabetes and had this to say about it
The sweetness of life gradually reduces. All that is left is renunciation and the consolation of religion.He died from the complications of Parkinson's disease in 1971.
As always, I apologize for any errors - let me know and I will change them as need be.
Sources, great ones...
- Diabetolgia's sketch. So much of this was grabbed here. Nice article.
- All of the Wikis, Novo Nordisk, Hagedorn, etc
Additionally, I am not in any way, shape, or space a representative of Novo Nordisk or its subsidiaries. All of these things are my thoughts / stolen history. Thanks.!
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