Alice Augusta Ball (1892-1916)

  • Ball obtained BSc degrees in Pharmaceutical Chemistry (1912) and Pharmacy (1914) from the University of Washington.
  • In 1915, she was the first woman and black person to receive an MSc in Chemistry at the University of Hawaii. 
  • She developed the first successful treatment for leprosy by manipulating chaulmoogra tree oil into a water soluble, injectable form. 
  • The ‘Ball Method’ was used for over 30 years until sulfone drugs were introduced. 
  • Her work was taken credit for and renamed the ‘Dean Method’ by the president of the University of Hawaii after her death. 
  • In 2000, Hawaii named February 29th ‘Alice Ball Day’ and it is celebrated every 4 years.
Text: Biography.com (2020).

Image: © Public Domain

Author: Anthonia Oluwatuyi (2020) LJMU Student

Maintained by: EDIpedia@ljmu.ac.uk