Paul Eston Lacy facts for kids

Paul Eston Lacy (born February 7, 1924 – died February 15, 2005) was an important American scientist. He studied the human body and did experiments. Dr. Lacy was one of the top researchers in the world for diabetes. He is known for starting the idea of islet transplantation, which helps people with diabetes.

Learning and Degrees

Paul Lacy was born in Trinway, Ohio, in February 1924. He went to Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. There, he earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), in 1944.

He then continued his studies at Ohio State and became a medical doctor. He received his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1948.

After medical school, Dr. Lacy went to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He studied anatomy and experimental pathology there. In 1955, he earned his Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) from the University of Minnesota.

His Work and Discoveries

In 1955, Dr. Lacy became a professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. He began studying special cells in the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ that helps your body use food for energy.

He used special tools to look at these cells very closely. He also used a method called fluorescent-antibody labeling. This helped him understand how beta cells in the pancreas make and release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that controls blood sugar.

His research helped scientists better understand how the body produces insulin. This work helped him move up in his career at the university.

In 1961, Dr. Lacy became the head of the Pathology Department at Washington University. He focused on making the department a strong place for research. He was very interested in finding new ways to treat diseases.

Helping People with Diabetes

Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Dr. Lacy worked with Dr. Walter F. Ballinger. Dr. Ballinger was the head of Surgery at Washington University. They worked together on a new way to treat diabetes.

They experimented with transplanting beta islet cells in animals. These are the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. Their goal was to find a way to replace the cells that don't work well in people with diabetes.

Their hard work led to a major breakthrough in 1989. For the first time, a human patient successfully received an islet-cell transplant. This was a huge step forward in diabetes treatment.

Even today, scientists continue to research this procedure. It is still being studied and is not yet a common treatment.

Dr. Lacy stepped down as head of the Pathology Department in 1984. However, he continued to work at Washington University. He stayed active in diabetes research for another 20 years.

About His Life

Paul Lacy enjoyed literature, art, and music. He was married to his first wife, Ellen, for over 50 years. They had two sons together. Ellen passed away in 1998.

In 2002, Dr. Lacy married Bonnie Mattingly. The next year, he became ill with a lung disease. Paul Lacy passed away on February 15, 2005, at the age of 81. He is buried in Zanesville, Ohio.