Hidden Figures: Alice Ball #BlackHERstoryMonth 16/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Alice Ball #BlackHERstoryMonth 16/28

Alice Augusta Ball was an African American chemist who developed an injectable oil extract that was the most effective treatment for leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, until the 1940s. She was the first woman and first African American to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawaii, she was also the first woman chemistry professor at the university. Ball was born on July 24, 1892 in Seattle, Washington, one of four children. She studied chemistry at the University of Washington, earning a bachelor's degree in pharmaceutical chemistry and a second degree in pharmacy two years later. In 1915, Ball became the first woman and first African American to graduate with a master's degree from the University of Hawaii. Alice Ball was also the first African American and woman chemistry professor at the University of Hawaii's chemistry department. While in Hawaii, she studied chaulmoogra oil and its chemical properties for use in the treatment of leprosy. Alice Ball revolutionized it and made it injectable by discovering the ester ethyl form, meaning that it was water-soluble and able to dissolve in the bloodstream. Her newly developed technique, known as the "Ball Method", was the only treatment for leprosy that was effective and "left no abscesses or bitter taste.” However, Ball became ill and died shortly after her breakthrough findings; it was suggested that the cause may have been chlorine poisoning due to exposure that occurred while teaching a laboratory. She was 24 years old. Due to her untimely death, Alice was unable to publish her revolutionary findings. Arthur L. Dean, a chemist and the president of the University of Hawaii at the time, continued her work, published the findings, and began producing large quantities of the injectable chaulmoogra extract, effectively curing leprosy. Dean published the findings without giving credit to Ball, and renamed the technique the Dean Method. The isolated ethyl ester remained the preferred treatment for leprosy until sulfonamide drugs were developed in the 1940s; however, as late as 1999, Alice Ball’s cure was still occasionally used to treat patients for leprosy. The University of Hawaii did not recognize her work for nearly ninety years. In 2000, the university finally honored Ball by dedicating a plaque to her on the school's lone chaulmoogra tree behind Bachman Hall. February 29 was also declared "Alice Ball Day." which is now celebrated every four years. In March 2016, Hawaiʻi Magazine ranked Ball in a list of the most influential women in Hawaiian history. #AliceBall #HiddenFigures ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Twitter: @seren_sensei Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: African American Women Chemists (Google Books): https://books.google.com/books?id=uomdpaHWaC0C&pg=PA178&lpg=PA178&dq=alice+augusta+ball&hl=en#v=onepage&q=alice%20ball&f=false 'Alice Augusta Ball - Chemical Drug Pioneer:' https://undark.org/article/alice-augusta-ball-chemical-drug-pioneer-african-american-scientists/ 'UWSOP alumni legend Alice Ball, Class of 1914, solved leprosy therapy riddle:' https://sop.washington.edu/uwsop-alumni-legend-alice-ball-class-of-1914-solved-leprosy-riddle/ 'We Had A Cure For Leprosy For Centuries, But Couldn't Get It To Work:' https://io9.gizmodo.com/we-had-a-cure-for-leprosy-for-centuries-but-we-couldnt-1703005163 'Alice A. Augusta B - Young Chemist Gave Hope to Millions:' http://patriotssch4u1.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/58207153/Alice%20Ball.pdf 'STEM Women Hall of Fame - Alice Augusta Ball:' https://www.stuffmomnevertoldyou.com/blogs/stem-women-hall-of-fame-alice-augusta-ball.htm 'REMEMBERING A PIONEER - ALICE BALL:' https://blackthen.com/remembering-a-pioneer-ms-alice-ball/ 'A tribute to Alice Ball - a scientist whose work with leprosy was overshadowed by a white successor:' http://www.dailyuw.com/features/article_b749ad5a-9e0b-575e-9e61-59ea5f8cc07f.html Ball, Alice Augusta: https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/1837 Ball, Alice Augusta (1892-1916): http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/ball-alice-augusta-1892-1916 Alice Ball (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Ball