In the early 20th century, when leprosy was still a major problem for humanity, Alice Ball developed the most effective contemporary treatment for it (later dubbed the “Ball Method”). She was also a pioneer at her alma mater, the University of Hawaii, where she was both the first woman and the first African American to receive a master’s degree. She later became a chemistry professor at the school. She died at the age of 24, possibly as a result of exposure to chlorine in the course of her research. A fellow professor at the University of Hawaii, Arthur Dean, stole Ball’s research on leprosy treatment after she died in 1916 and began producing the treatment. Ball did not receive credit for her leprosy treatment until 1922, six years after her death.