Alice Ball

Alice Augusta Ball was an African-American chemist who developed a more effective treatment for Hansen's disease (also known as leprosy).

Ball was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1892. She showed an early aptitude for science, and she studied chemistry at the University of Hawaii.

After graduating, Ball worked as a research assistant at the University of Hawaii. She was working on a treatment for Hansen's disease when she developed a more effective way to administer the drug chaulmoogra oil.

Chaulmoogra oil was a traditional treatment for Hansen's disease, but it was difficult to administer. Ball developed a way to make the oil more soluble, which made it easier to give to patients.

Ball's discovery was a major breakthrough in the treatment of Hansen's disease. It made the treatment more effective and easier to administer, and it helped to save many lives.

Ball's work was not recognized during her lifetime. She died of tuberculosis in 1916, at the age of 24. However, her work has been recognized posthumously, and she is now considered a pioneer in the field of leprosy research.

Imagine that you have a friend who is sick with Hansen's disease. The doctor gives your friend a medicine, but the medicine is hard to take. Alice Ball found a way to make the medicine easier to take, and this helped your friend to get better. In the same way, Alice Ball found a way to make a medicine that was more effective in treating Hansen's disease. Her work helped to save many lives.

Alice Ball was a young African American chemist who made significant contributions to the treatment of leprosy.