Somogyi was born on March 7, 1883, in the village of Zsámánd in Hungary (today Reinersdorf, part of Heiligenbrunn, Austria).

[5][8] Somogyi also developed a quicker, less expensive method for screening for diabetes, using sodium carbonate, urine, and heat.

This led to the development of popular tests, including several varieties of urine sugar comparator from the Aloe Company of Saint Louis, Missouri.

[1] In 1938 Somogyi published findings showing that excessive insulin can make diabetes management unstable and increase the difficulty of treatment.

[10] In 1949, Somogyi argued against the use of high doses of insulin on the grounds that it was a potentially dangerous form of treatment.

He also argued that many diabetic patients could successfully manage their conditions through a combination of diet and weight loss.