ALICE BALL

Alice Augusta Ball was an African American chemist who developed an

injectable oil extract that was the most effective treatment for leprosy
until 1940.

She was born on July 24th, 1892 in Seattle, Washington. Her family was
considered middle class. Alice and her family moved from Seattle a Honolulu during Alice;
childhood, but after his grandfather died they returned to Seattle and Alice studied there and
received top grades in the sciences.

Alice studied chemistry at the University of Washington; she decided to move back to Hawaii
to pursue a master´s degree in chemistry. While she was studying at the University of Hawaii,
she studied chaulmoogra oil and its chemical properties.

At just the young age of 23, Ball developed a technique that would allow the oil from
chaulmoogra tree seeds to become injectable and absorbable by the body. His method was
known as the” Ball Method”, was the treatment for Hansen´s disease that was effective.

Alice Ball died on December 31th, 1916, at the age of 24.

She had become ill during her research and returned to Seattle for treatment a few months
before her death. The cause may have been chlorine poisoning due to exposure that
occurred while teaching a laboratory.

It took nine decades his death before his work was recognized.

Unfortunately, Ball would never see his method in use. In fact, he came close to having his
work completely usurped. Because of his sudden and premature death, another scientist,
Arthur L. Dean, continued his research, published the results, and tried to name the discovery
the Dean Method. It was his previous boss, Dra Hollman, who made the recognition, went to
Alice Ball.

Do you know there is a movie about her? The Ball Method is a short film that tells the story
of African- American Alice Ball.