Recreating the world's first test for diabetes

This video is a special one and I made it specifically for World Diabetes Day, which happens every year on November 14. Diabetes was originally diagnosed by tasting the urine of patients. In diabetics, the blood-sugar level is often extremely high and some of it spills over into the urine. So, if the urine tasted sweet, the person was likely diabetic.

This was the main way to test for diabetes for a long time, until there was a breakthrough in 1841 by Karl Trommer. From there, the technology was continually improved and today we have blood glucose meters. I think that this technological journey is extremely interesting, and I hope that you guys agree with me after watching the video.

What I also think is cool, is that many of the breakthroughs along the way are still useful today for other applications. The Fehling's and Benedict solutions are still routinely used in analytical chemistry, and the test strips are also useful.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(when signing up with this link, a portion of your membership directly supports the channel)

Join the community:

You can also find me here:

[seanb]

Buddhist monks (Mahayana Tradition) would get a urine sample from a patient and perform simple tests on it.
They would smell it, froth it with a whisk to see how long the bubbles would remain, and then pour it on the ground to see if the ants were interested in it.
The ants would be interested in sugar in the urine, indicating diabetes.

[jamezz]

As a type 1 diabetic i really appreciate this. It makes me glad i don't live a hundred years ago where i would simply go into a coma and die. Ill be sure to send anyone confused about diabetes this video. Thank you 😄

[makiyo_]

This guy is the most confident person i have ever seen.

[hgmercury]

I’m not gonna lie, I’m definitely a fan of the sad faces on all the cells.

[MyOldHandleWasWorse]

I've been type 1 diabetic for over seventeen years, and now I finally know how these meters work! Thank you, NileRed!!!

[aureusyarara]

"urine from a friend"
i wonder how that conversation went

Niles: hey bro can you pee in a cup for me
friend: ....
friend: why
Niles: for science!!!!
friend: it's for youtube isn't it

[Mr_Stanley]

Hey Nile, I am a 33 year old chef that has been fascinated with science my entire life. I have just started university and I have been struggling with "Academic Language". I love listening to your narration. It has helped me so much with my writing. Cheers mate!

[gort]

What did the doctor say to the diabetic?

"Urine trouble."

[yogpoudyal]

If you wanna learn the history of diabetes diagnosis, urine the right place!

[MACintosh_]

I saw this video while I was injecting my insulin :D

[DeDraconis]

Good for you, Nile. Don't get peer pressured into watersports if it's not your thing.

#SafeSaneConsensual

[Justin_]

"Pee taster" thats a hell of a job. Unless you were into that kind of thing.

[dalitas]

Very nice informational video, nice that you still have experiments in it.
Actually it's awfully good, it isn't easy making a 20min video and keep the interest of the viewer, but you succeeded

[jrmckim]

Type 1 diabetic here... this is so interesting and fascinating to learn about the history of glucose tests. Not many people know that type 1 diabetes was almost a death sentence a century ago. We are so lucky to live in a time where I can pay a few bucks to check my level.
Thanks to all the scientists who developed these tests and devices. Your work saved millions of people. Bless yall 💕

[jaydenfrye]

I’m 14 and have had diabetes for about 8 years now, and I thought this video was very interesting. Especially the beginning when he talked about how they used to test it because I’ve always wondered how they took care of diabetes long ago

[nickope]

As a type one diabetic thank you for explaining the differences between the different types. Even though I have done a lot of research on my own this video was very enlightening. Thank you for making this video and I am glad I have been subscribed for a while.

[williamtesson]

One of your most thorough, educational and professional videos. Glad to see you always continue to care more about quality, and not less over time like some other youtubers.

[SomnolentFudge]

Send some to Cody he'll taste it.
You could continue this as a series, covering things like testing for ketoacidosis

[thecharlesfickle]

Watching this as a type 1 diabetic was very informative and interesting HAHA Thank you NileRed I loved the video :)

[VoidHalo]

Diabetic viewer here. Just wanted to thank you for making this. I was diagnosed with type 2 a few years ago. I've also watched my Mom deal with having it for almost 20 years, so it's really interesting and even comforting to learn about the chemistry of glucose testing. I find the more you learn about something like this, the less mystery there is, it becomes less intimidating. It's much easier to be scared of something if you don't understand it. And videos like this help a lot with that.

Thanks very much for the time and great amount of effort you put into this video and indeed your channel as a whole. I appreciate you sharing your passion with us and allowing us to learn more about the wonderful world of chemistry. Best wishes to you and to all other viewers as well. Cheers.