[Giovanni Martinotti and experimental pancreatectomy, a century ago].

On July 13th, 1888, Giovanni Martinotti (1857-1928) announced in Torino the feasibility of a total pancreatectomy in the dog. The essential details for a successful outcome of the operation, as described by Martinotti, were employed by Oscar Minkowski (1859-1931) in Strassburg for the demonstration of diabetes after total removal of pancreas in the dog, on May 22nd, 1889. Martinotti's work deserves a reevaluation in the history of diabetology.