He was among the first to introduce anticoagulants in the treatment of blood clots. (Subscribe to Science For All, our weekly newsletter, where we aim to take the jargon out of science and put the fun in. Click here.) Charles Herbert Best (1899 – 1978) was an American-Canadian scientist, who co-discovered insulin, a critical milestone in the treatment of diabetes. Charles Best also discovered the vitamin choline and the enzyme histaminase. He was among the first to introduce anticoagulants in the treatment of blood clots. Best was born in Maine, the U.S., in 1899. He grew up in Pembroke before joining the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, to study medicine in 1915, but his studies were interrupted by the onset of the First World War. He served as an infantry soldier and later as an acting Sergeant Major in the Canadian Army. He returned to Toronto in 1921 to continue his studies. He was a professional basketball player and used his remuneration from sports to pay his academic fees.