# Fish sperm



## Northerner (Nov 4, 2009)

For those of you who don't read my blog (why not?), here's a poem I wrote on the subject (sort of!). Hans Christian Hagedorn was the man who discovered that the protamine derived from fish sperm, when mixed with insulin, would slow the action profile of the insulin thus reducing the number of injections required and giving improved blood sugar control. The resulting insulin was marketed as NPH (Neutral Protamine Hagedorn) and became a staple treatment for many years:

Once there was a village on a cliff beside the sea
Where there lived a little boy and girl, as cute as cute can be!
And their parents ? how they loved them! It was plain for all to see,
As they watched them play and squeal and sing around the cherry tree!

But one dark day the demon came to strike them in the night,
The children shook, their eyes were wild, it was an awful sight!
The parents called the doctor in to do what e?er he might,
And village elders rallied round to aid the parents plight!

There lived a wise man in a cave that bordered on the shore,
So word was sent to seek him out and learn the ancient lore,
For would a balm of potent herbs the children?s health restore?
The parents feared that they would see their children play no more?

The wise man came and saw at once their glucose had gone low?
He rubbed molasses in their cheeks, and as he turned to go
Declared it was their insulin that struck the children so ? 
It worked too fast! There must be found some way to make it slow!

?You must go out and seek a trout, that pretty river fish,
And squeeze it dry of semen and collect it in a dish,
Then mix it with the insulin, and you shall have your wish
For it will work with far less haste, and naught shall come amiss!?

A trout was caught, its gonads squeezed as they hung it from the rafter,
Then insulin was all mixed in ? a daily task thereafter,
And soon the village rang again with peals of children?s laughter!
Thus ends the tale, as good tales do, in happy ever after!


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## am64 (Nov 4, 2009)

yet again brilliant north


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## runner (Nov 4, 2009)

PMSL!  One wonders how he made the discovery or is it another fishy tale!!


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## Caroline Wilson (Nov 4, 2009)

Brilliant yet again.


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## AlisonM (Nov 4, 2009)

Loved it North. ROFLMAO


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## Copepod (Nov 4, 2009)

Great poem, Northerner.
Anyone else see "Life" David Attenborough's series on Monday night - all about fish. Will be shown again at weekend, and possibly on iPlayer. Clear examples of external fertilisation and male sea dragons looking after their young.


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## Viki (Nov 4, 2009)

I saw it - wouldnt have like to have been the diver with all those fish "externally fertilising" in his face!!! 

Fab poem Northe - thank goodness we dont actually have to prepare our own insulin that way every day. . Yuck!


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## Copepod (Nov 4, 2009)

Fairly recently, I learned about some people who produced insulin from animal carcasses that kept several people alive through the Second World War in a Chinese city, perhaps Shanghai? I'll look up details when I have time (ie not at work!)


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## Northerner (Nov 4, 2009)

Copepod said:


> Fairly recently, I learned about some people who produced insulin from animal carcasses that kept several people alive through the Second World War in a Chinese city, perhaps Shanghai? I'll look up details when I have time (ie not at work!)



When I read 'The Discovery of Insulin' by Michael Bliss I was quite surprised to learn that insulin was produced by basically mashing up bovine and pocine pancreases - seemed so crude!


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## katie (Nov 4, 2009)

Yes I saw 'Life', it was amazing!!  My favs were the fish that walked in the mud and the sea dragons dancing, aww!  Oh an hippos getting cleaned by fish?! very interesting.

Great poem northe, hilarious 

you know what you should do?  twitter updates! haha, yes im addicted...


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## Northerner (Nov 4, 2009)

katie said:


> Yes I saw 'Life', it was amazing!!  My favs were the fish that walked in the mud and the sea dragons dancing, aww!  Oh an hippos getting cleaned by fish?! very interesting.
> 
> Great poem northe, hilarious
> 
> you know what you should do?  twitter updates! haha, yes im addicted...



I'll have to watch the repeat! Haven't started twittering yet katie, will look into it this evening!


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## am64 (Nov 4, 2009)

ditto katie i love the mud fish xxx ps you working now?


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## Viki (Nov 4, 2009)

katie said:


> Yes I saw 'Life', it was amazing!!  My favs were the fish that walked in the mud and the sea dragons dancing, aww!  Oh an hippos getting cleaned by fish?! very interesting.
> 
> Great poem northe, hilarious
> 
> you know what you should do?  twitter updates! haha, yes im addicted...



Mud fish were seriously cute! 

I find it fascinating when animals just evolve to mutually benefit eachother, like the fish which bash into the shark to remove parasites and simultaneously annoy the sharks away from the reef which protects the smaller fish! Amazing stuff!


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## katie (Nov 4, 2009)

Northerner said:


> I'll have to watch the repeat! Haven't started twittering yet katie, will look into it this evening!



let me know if you need any help, it's confusing at first hehe.



am64 said:


> ditto katie i love the mud fish xxx ps you working now?



'fraid not   Still only one day a week, and im so desperate i've started cleaning my friend's gross flat one day a week too   I'm planning on just going to oz and finding work there.



Viki said:


> Mud fish were seriously cute!
> 
> I find it fascinating when animals just evolve to mutually benefit eachother, like the fish which bash into the shark to remove parasites and simultaneously annoy the sharks away from the reef which protects the smaller fish! Amazing stuff!



I know, it was amazing!  I dont usually have the patience to watch such educational programmes, but I was glued


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## Copepod (Nov 7, 2009)

*fish on TV - and discussions with pharmacist*

Just caught chemist after work, with prescription posted by GP - assistant was being very dim, but pharmacist, a runner & cyclist, who is very efficient, but we rarely get to chat, as I used to drop in prescription in morning, and collect a couple of days later, when it's also busy. But, due to working all day, went much later - pharmacist remembered last chat about Antarctic marine biology (I got 5 months of supplies for an expedition to Chile, Falklands & South Georgia, Sept 03 - Jan 04 - and am still using the lancets now!) so asked if I was still doing marine biology, so explained that oportunities were limited, due to ban on professional SCUBA diving, overwintering in Antarctica etc, but chatted about organising activity birthday parties for children - turns out her husband does similar at a park in neighbouring county -  BBC NHU Life fish episode - she's recorded it, but no idea when she'll have to time to watch it - and my partner being out in Portugal for Adventure Race World Championship (with some of my ibuprofen supplies). She's helped me in the past with a couple of Tegaderm dressings when I chaffed my inner thighs running in ill-fitting shorts. Hope she enjoys the fish episode - and that I see her to ask within a year!


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## am64 (Nov 8, 2009)

Its On Again !!!


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