Glucagon as a subject of study had an inauspicious start. It wasdiscovered as an impurity in early preparations of insulin, a ‘toxicfraction’ causing a rise in blood glucose and even death . Kimballand Murlin named it glucagon (GLUCose-AGONist) after a series ofexperiments designed to concentrate and isolate pure insulin found aprecipitant which increased blood glucose in depancreatized dogs.However it took a further 25 years before Sutherland and De Duvepurified glucagon itself