Physiologist and pancreatic-extract researcher · 1869–1931
Nicolae Paulescu
His contribution to insulin research must be understood alongside the antisemitism he actively promoted.
A life behind the work
Born in Bucharest, Paulescu studied medicine in Paris, worked with Étienne Lancereaux and returned to a university career in physiology in Romania. His 1921 publications described pancreatic extracts that lowered blood sugar in diabetic dogs. This was an important experimental contribution; the Toronto team separately developed insulin into a reproducible clinical treatment. His public life also included virulent antisemitic writing and participation in far-right antisemitic political organisations. Both the laboratory research and this documented political activity belong in an account of his life.