Alice Ball (July 24, 1892 – December 31, 1916)
At just the young age of 23, Alice Ball discovered a new treatment for Hansen's disease using the oil from chaulmoogra tree seeds. She created an injection by isolating ethyl ester compounds from the fatty acids of the chaulmoogra oil. At the time, this treatment, known as the "Ball Method", was the only effective treatment for Hansen's disease until the development of antibiotics in the 1940's.