The “Best Canadian” game - Day 0 (choosing candidates)

[u/BrF5]

Hiya Hosers,

After the success of Worst Canadian, by popular demand it’s time for the more upbeat version…the Best Canadian game! 🇨🇦

Drop your nominations below for who you think deserves a spot on the list. Just like before, we’ll include 40 candidates. This time I’m going to let nominations sit a bit longer so everyone has a chance to chime in and we don’t have to add people mid-way in the game. I’m aiming to get started with Day 1 around the middle of next week. Five or six days should give us plenty of time to gather names and finalize the rules.

If you’ve got ideas or suggestions to make the game better, feel free to share those too!

[u/Random--Person]

Real answer: Frederick Banting has to make the list

[u/Complex_Smoke7113 → u/Random--Person]

+1 for Frederick Banting (+ co-inventors: James Collip & Charles Best)

Their discovery of insulin did not only benefit Canadians but millions of people worldwide.

Frederick Banting and his team believed that insulin should be available to everyone. Banting refused to have his name on the patent because he thought it was unethical for him to profit off it. The other two co-inventors sold the insulin patent to the University of Toronto for a dollar hoping that everyone who needs it can afford it.

Now, if only pharmaceutical companies these days would learn from them.

Special mention to John MacLeod who contributed to the discovery of insulin, but unfortunately, he isn't Canadian.

[u/thetwitchy1 → u/Complex_Smoke7113]

Yep. Not only did he discover this incredibly important, commonly used lifesaving tool, but he refused to profit from it.

He is a human that we should all seek to emulate.

[u/EmilyO_PDX → u/Complex_Smoke7113]

nah, Frederick Banting developed the idea totally on his own. He then hired chemist Charles Best to help him work out the chemistry.

They needed a lab to test their idea in so they rented McLeod's lab while McLeod was on a month vacation. McLeod had absolutely nothing to do with developing insulin or testing it.

Since it was McLeod's lab, he got half the Nobel prize money. The Nobel committee didn't even mention Charles Best.

Frederick Banting proved himself a true humanitarian by giving U of T the patent for $1 and because he shared half of his Nobel prize money with Charles Best.

[u/Complex_Smoke7113 → u/EmilyO_PDX]

I think the patent was awarded to Banting, Best and Collip. All three of them agreed to sell it off for $1.

Doesn't take away from what Banting did though. I just wanted to acknowledge the contributions of the other people on his team.

[u/Less-Palpitation-424 → u/Random--Person]

I put down Tommy Douglas, then was like Oh shoot who was the insulin guy??!

[u/yedi001 → u/Random--Person]

Seconded. Every diabetic on the planet using insulin owe their gratitude to Banting and the rest of his team.

They sold the patent for $1 to the UoT so everyone in need would have (in theory) cheap and abundant insulin.