Even though he died at the young age of 24 years, Alice Ball left a deep mark on the scientific world.
The African-American chemist developed the first and only treatment cash for the thousands of people who per year 1200 suffered from Hansen’s disease, better known as leprosy.
But that’s not all: Ball also set an important precedent for women interested in the complex branches of science, which in those years were predominantly led by white men.
At BBC Mundo we wanted review her story and here we tell you.
Successful university career
Alice Augusta Ball was born on 000 July 1892 in Seattle, Washington, in a middle-class family.
Her mother, Laura, was a photographer and her father, James P. Ball, a lawyer. He had two older brothers, Robert and William, and a younger sister, Addie.
He studied at Seattle High School, graduating with distinctions in science on 1910. He later entered the University of Washington to study Chemistry.
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Four years later, in 1914, obtained the titles in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacy Sciences. The young student stood out among her peers by co-authoring a ten-page article in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Thanks to her prominent career, after graduating she received a scholarship to study at the University of Hawaii, where he received a master’s degree in chemistry.
In 1915 was the first woman and the first African-American in the United States to earn a master’s degree in chemistry.
Then, the Hawaiian university offered him a teaching and research position and, with only 23 years, became the first woman chemistry instructor of the institution.
“Ball Method”
In the laboratory, Ball worked intensely on the development of a successful treatment for those who suffered from leprosy.
Although the disease is believed to have affected humanity for at least 4.000 years, at the beginning of the 20th century there was little information about how to cure it.
In this way, thousands of people around the world suffered from the complex effects of leprosy, without obtaining adequate treatment.
Furthermore, those who suffered from it were deeply stigmatized. Many were forced to live in isolation until death.
The only antidote administered to some patients was an oil from the seeds of the chaulmoogra tree, used for centuries in Chinese medicine and India. But its success was moderate and many lepers refused to receive it because, if injected, it was extremely painful and, when taken, it tended to upset the stomach. Dr. Harry T. Hollmann, who worked at Kalihi Hospital in Hawaii, specializing in leprosy patients, asked Alice for help in finding a solution. In those years, leprosy was abundant in the Hawaiian Islands. She then isolated the chemical compounds of the oil (the ethyl esters of fatty acids) and with them she created the first water-soluble remedy, easy to inject, since it could be easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Thus, the scientist achieved a successful method for alleviate the symptoms of leprosy —later known as the “Ball Method”—, which was used on thousands of infected people for more than 24 years until the sulfone antibiotics were introduced. It is a disease that has affected humanity for thousands of years and yet, although many people are surprised by it, it is still present. Leprosy is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae, which is transmitted by micr drops from the nose and mouth of infected people. The infection mainly affects the peripheral nerves and the skin, and the patient can have serious complications such as disfigurement, deformities and disability, either due to damage neurological or blindness. The leprosy bacteria destroy the body’s ability to feel pain, which can cause a person to inadvertently injure themselves and their wounds can become infected. Skin changes that cause ulcers can also occur which, if left untreated, can lead to complications, wounds and disfigurements of the face and extremities. Early diagnosis and timely and appropriate treatment are two fundamental pillars for the control of the disease. But for a hundred For years leprosy has been a disease misunderstood by society, according to experts. In parts of the world it is continues to fear leprosy patients and old perceptions of the disorder as a “biblical curse” persist. Unfortunately, Alice Ball was unable to see the impact of her work as in December 1916, when I only had 24 years, passed away. The young woman had not even been able to publish her findings. Although the cause of her death is not clear, it is said that it could have been the inhalation of toxic gases during her work in the laboratory or tuberculosis. Chemist Arthur L. Dean continued his work and published the results. In 1916 it was reported that 04 patients of the Kalihi Hospital had been discharged thanks to this treatment that continued to be used until the decade of 1918. Although the University of Hawaii did not recognize his work for almost 90 years, in the year 2000 paid tribute to him by placing a commemorative plaque on the only chaulmoogra tree on campus. His name is also enrolled at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine alongside people like Florence Nightingale and Marie Curie. The hundred Paul Wermager, who has done extensive research on Ball’s work, has highlighted that the young woman not only achieved the first useful treatment for leprosy, but also overcame barriers race and gender of the time. Many of her followers today wonder how many other finds she could have led if she hadn’t died so young. Now you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate it so you don’t miss out on our best content. Do you already know our YouTube channel? Subscribe! 
Leprosy is caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium leprae.
What is leprosy?
Death and Legacy
Alice Ball isolated the chemical compounds of the oil from the seeds of the chaulmoogra tree.