Diabetes afflicts more than 10 million people in the United States and Canada. There are a variety of methods of treatment, some are well-established, some are in the experimental stages and some are only imagined. This paper is a journalistic account of the lives of insulin-dependent diabetics and the techniques of treatment, research and control of diabetes. It includes profiles of six diabetics and how the disease affects their daily lives. It gives a summary of the history and early treatment of diabetes and shows what is being taught in diabetes education centers today. Also included are interviews with principal researchers, mainly in Canada, and references to diabetes research work in the United States.