2/3 Insulin and Mrs. Barlow's Bathtub

What is it called when you have too much glucose?

hyperglycemia

What can happen when there is too much glucose?

It can cause damage to delicate cell membranes, particularly those of the nerves and retina, which can lead to nerve damage or even loss of eyesight.

What organ relies on glucose as its primary source of fuel?

The brain.

What happens if blood glucose levels falls below 50 percent the normal levels?

The fingers and lips go numb and the brain becomes sluggish.

What happens when blood glucose levels fall below 25 percent?

Coma and even death can ensue.

Where is the pancreas located?

Close to the liver and just below the stomach.

What are some of the functions of the pancreas?

It releases enzymes into the gut to aid the digestive process and it produces insulin.

What is insulin?

Its the hormone that helps the body store and use glucose.

When released form the pancreas, where is insulin transported?

The key organs of the liver, adipose or fatty tissue, and muscle.

What two critical functions of the body does insulin preform?

To prevent blood glucose levels from getting to high and to cause the liver, muscles, and adipose tissue to take excess glucose from the blood.

What does the liver, muscle, and adipose tissue store the glucose as?

The liver and muscle store it as glycogen; the adipose tissue as fat.

What is the name of the Austro-Hungarian doctor who invented insulin shock therapy and what year did he discover it?

Manfred Joshua Sakel; 1928

What happens during insulin shock?

They become unconscious due to dangerously low glucose levels, experiencing symptoms like confusion, sweating, tremors, seizures, and eventually a loss of responsiveness. Leaving behind large dilated pupils.

What is a coma induced by low glucose levels called?

Hypoglycemic coma

Where did Dr. Sakel go to continue practice on the psychological population?

He left Berlin and returned to Austria and volunteered in Vienna’s University Clinic.

What are the affects of depriving the brain with nutrients for an extended period of time?

It produces damage to the cerebral cortex, causing its crenellated architecture to become flat and smooth, similar to the brains of people suffering with neurodegenerative disorders.

What year did Dr. Sakel publish more than thirteen papers on insulin shock therapy and what did they report?

1935 and they reported and 88 percent sucess rate.

A lot of experienced psychiatrists bragged that they could keep their patients in a coma for how many minutes?

fifteen

What was the name of the British psychiatrist that published the paper titled “The Insulin Myth” and what year did he publish it?

Dr. Harold Bourne published his paper in 1953.

What did Dr. Harold Bourne claim in “The Insulin Myth”?

He claimed that the initial psychiatric diagnoses were flawed and based on unreliable tests. He also claimed that the therapy was biased and focused on some patients but no others.

What year was a carefully controlled study on insulin shock therapy published and what did it conclude?

1957 and it concluded that insulin shock therapy was pseudo science.

What date and time did Dr. Price show up at the Barlow house to examine Elizabeth’s body?

May 4, 1957 at 2:00 a.m.

What was found in a porcelain pot on a shelf above the door leading to the pantry?

Two used syringes and four hypodermic needles wrapped in a handkerchief.

What time was Elizabeth’s body transported to the local mortuary for Dr. Prices examination?

5:45 a.m.

What was discovered when Elizabeth’s body was examined?

She was 8 pregnant.

Where were Elizabeth’s blood and urine samples sent to?

North-Eastern Forensic Science Labratory

What day was Elizabeth’s body reexamined?

May 8, 1957

What did they discover when they reexamined Elizabeth’s body?

Two injection marks in each buttock.

Kenneth confessed to injecting Elizabeth with her consent but claimed it wasn’t insulin. What did he claim is actually was?

Ergometrine. Its used to cause contractions of the uterus to treat heavy vaginal bleeding after childbirth and it could be used to induce abortions.

They wanted to prove that there was insulin in Elizabeth’s body. What was the problem with that?

No one had ever measured insulin in human tissue before.