Frederick Banting upon the idea of obtaining insulin from the fetal pancreas. He removed the pancreases from fetal calves at a William Davies slaughterhouse and found the extracts to be just as potent as those extracted from the dog pancreases. By December 1921, he had also succeeded in extracting insulin from the adult pancreas. Pork and beef would remain the primary commercial sources of insulin until they were replaced by genetically-engineered bacteria in the late 20th century. In spring of 1922, Banting established a private practice in Toronto and began to treat diabetic patients. His first American patient was Elizabeth Hughes Gossett,
Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School at the school until she was elected in the 2006 federal election. Banting shares an almost exact floor plan with its sister school, Montcalm Secondary School. Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School has produced the Canadian olympic athletes Jason Tunks, three-time Summer olympian discus-thrower, heptathlete Jessica Zelinka, and speed skater Christine Nesbitt, gold-medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics in women's 1000 m and silver-medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics in the women's team pursuit. Jude St. John, a Grey Cup-winning Canadian football player, also attended Sir Frederick Banting Secondary School as well as NHL players Mike Van Ryn & Steve Rucchin.