At just 23 years old, she was one of the few Black women chemists in the entire nation, an

At just 23 years old, she was one of the few Black women chemists in the entire nation, and she was on the verge of unraveling a medical enigma that had perplexed doctors for centuries. In Hawaii, leprosy patients were forcibly separated from their families and sent to isolated colonies to die. The only available treatment, chaulmoogra oil, was thick and greasy, leading to painful blisters when injected and severe vomiting when taken orally. It hardly worked at all.

Alice Ball, a recent graduate chemist from the College of Hawaii, transformed that situation. Working diligently in a lab, she discovered a method to break down the oil into a form that the human body could actually absorb through injection. Her technique was successful. Patients who were once destined for lifelong exile were reunited with their loved ones. Tragically, Alice never witnessed the effects of her groundbreaking discovery. She passed away unexpectedly at just 24, before she could share her findings, and for many years, another man claimed credit for her achievements.

Today, history acknowledges the truth: Alice Ball restored thousands of lives.