Alice Ball

Alice Ball was an accomplished chemist in the early 20th century who developed the first effective treatment for leprosy using a method called "Ball's method," which involved extracting a medicinal oil from the chaulmoogra plant. Her technique allowed the medication to be injected, significantly improving patient outcomes. Despite her groundbreaking work, she did not receive full recognition during her lifetime. Today, Alice Ball is celebrated as a pioneer for her contributions to medicine and for breaking barriers as an African American woman in science.