The Defining Journey of Erik Hageman and the Birth of Modern Insulin
On a chilly day in Copenhagen, when Erik Hageman was just two years old, an untimely fall over his wooden clogs marked the beginning of a lifelong battle. The accident left him with a split tongue, and as he recovered, a series of worrying symptoms emerged. Erik's insistent cries for water and his unnaturally sticky and sweet urine pointed to a dire diagnosis: type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disorder where the body mistakenly attacks the pancreas.
Wartime Diagnoses and Grim Predictions
It was 1942, a time when Denmark was under Nazi occupation, and eugenics policies were ingrained in medical practice. The notion that trauma could trigger diabetes was widely held, and there was a disturbing belief that those with diabetes carried a "tainted bloodline." Erik’s doctor warned his parents that without intervention, their son would succumb to ketoacidosis or starve within weeks. "The best you can do is do nothing," the doctor cruelly advised.
Defying Ideology for Survival
Despite the pervasive ideology prioritizing the so-called "master race," Erik's parents chose to fight for their son's life. Erik's father, employed as a custodian at a sports college, learned of a potential savior through a coworker.
Hans Christian Hagedorn's Revolutionary Work
Enter Hans Christian Hagedorn, a dedicated yet temperamental physician renowned for his groundbreaking work in insulin refinement at Nordisk Insulinlaboratorium near Copenhagen. Hagedorn was pioneering the development of insulin from animal pancreases, creating formulations that extended its effectiveness in humans.
Under Hagedorn’s watchful eye, young Erik began receiving twice-daily injections of a pioneering insulin variant known as Neutral Protamine Hagedorn (NPH), which significantly improved his condition. Remarkably, at the age of five, Erik was already administering his doses with a large, tree-trunk-like needle, a testament to his resilience and Hagedorn’s medical advances.
Legacy of Survival and Innovation
Today, at 85, Erik Hageman stands as one of Denmark's longest-surviving diabetics. We spent time at Domus Hagedorn, a modernist marvel in Copenhagen owned by Novo Nordisk, the global pharmaceutical titan that grew from the seeds sown in Hagedorn's laboratory. "Hagedorn was rather crazy," Erik remarked, reflecting on the inventive legacy that had kept him alive. He acknowledged that without Hagedorn's unconventional methods, he would likely have faced blindness, amputation, and kidney failure.
Novo Nordisk, now a powerhouse in the pharmaceutical world, produces a significant portion of the globe’s insulin supply. Although today it is best known for its blockbuster drug, Ozempic, the company’s origins in Hagedorn’s life-saving work remain a critical part of its history.