The following is from The Textbook of Diabetes in a paragraph about methods of treatment in the absence of viable insulin. For context clinical trials of insulin started in January of 1922.
> Best known was the starvation regimen of Frederick Madison Allen (1876 – 1964), which Joslin described in 1915 as the greatest advance since Rollo ’ s time. This approach was an extreme application of one that had been proposed as early as 1875 by Apollinaire Bouchardat (1806 – 1886), who advocated intensive exercise and “ manger le moins possible . ” Starvation treatment did work in a limited sense, in that some patients could survive for many months or even years, instead of a few weeks or months with untreated type 1 diabetes. The quality of life, however, was very poor, and some patients died of malnutrition rather than diabetes. In 1921, Carl von Noorden (1858 – 1944) – proponent of the “ oatmeal cure ” – turned away in disapproval when he saw Joslin ’ s prize patient, 17 - year - old Ruth A, who at just over 1.52 m in height weighed only 24.5 kg