Seattle, Washington (July 24, 1892 -December 31, 1916) age 24 yrs

Alice Augusta Ball was an African American chemist. She developed the most effective treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. She was the first woman to get a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. She was also the university’s first female chemistry professor. At the time, leprosy or Hansen’s disease was a highly stigmatized disease with virtually no chance of recovery. People diagnosed with leprosy were exiled to the Hawaiian island of Molokai with the expectation that they would die there. At the age of 23, Ball developed a technique to make the Chaulmoogra oil injectable and absorbable by the body.  Ball’s Method was so successful, leprosy patients were discharged from hospitals and facilities across the globe. Ball’s injections made a huge difference to thousands of people’s lives. They remained the only available effective treatment for leprosy until antibiotics were invented. Her treatment became known as the ‘Ball Method’.  Ball died at the age of 24