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A young black scientist discovered a key treatment for leprosy in the Nineteen Twenties, but his older colleague took credit

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Hansen’s disease, also called leprosy, is curable today – thanks in part to the interesting tree and the pioneering work of a young scientist in the Nineteen Twenties. Centuries before its discovery, there was no cure for the debilitating symptoms of leprosy and its social stigma.

This young scientist Alicja Bal, laid the foundations for the world’s first effective treatment for leprosy. However, her legacy continues to prompt conversations about the marginalization of girls and folks of color in science today.

How bioethicist and historian of medicationI even have examine Ball’s contributions to medicine and I’m pleased to see that she is increasingly recognized for her work, especially in a disease that is still stigmatized.

Who was Alice Ball?

Alice Augusta Ball, born in Seattle, Washington in 1892, was first woman and first African American to acquire a master’s degree in science from the College of Hawaii in 1915, after graduating in pharmaceutical chemistry the previous yr.

Alice Augusta Ball, who invented the Ball Method, a approach to treating leprosy that didn’t involve unmanageable uncomfortable side effects.

After completing her master’s degree, the university hired her as a chemist and instructor, making her the first African American woman to carry this degree in the chemistry department.

Impressed with his master’s thesis in chemistry kava plantBall was recruited by Dr. Harry Hollmann of the U.S. Public Health Service leprosy investigation station in Hawaii. Then, leprosy was a major public health problem in Hawaii.

Doctors now understand that leprosy, also called Hansen’s disease, is minimally contagious. However, in 1865, the fear and stigma related to leprosy led Hawaiian authorities to implement a policy of mandatory segregation that ultimately isolated individuals with the disease. a distant peninsula on the island of Molokai. In 1910 There were over 600 individuals with leprosy in Molokai.

These policies overwhelmingly affected the Native Hawaiians who constituted over 90% of all those exiled to Molokai.

Meaning of chaulmoogra oil

Doctors tried almost every possible treatment to treat leprosy, even experimenting with dangerous substances equivalent to arsenic and strychnine. But the only consistently effective treatment was chaulmoogra oil.

Chaulmoogra oil is obtained from seeds chaulmoogra tree. Healthcare employees in India and Burma has used this oil for centuries as a medicine for various skin diseases. However, the treatment had limitations and had only a marginal effect on leprosy.

The oil could be very thick and viscous, making it difficult to rub into the skin. The drug can also be very bitter and patients who consumed it often began to vomit. Some doctors have experimented with oil injections, but this they produced painful pimples.

A black and white photo of a woman inserting a needle into a child's wrist, with two other women watching in the background.
Dr. Isabel Kerr, a European missionary, administering the chaulmoogra oil treatment to a patient in 1915, before the invention of the Ball Method.
George McGlashan Kerr, CC BY

Ball method

If scientists could harness the healing potential of chaulmoogra without the unpleasant uncomfortable side effects, the tree’s seeds could revolutionize the treatment of leprosy. So Hollmann turned to Ball. In an article from 1922Hollmann documents how the 23-year-old Ball discovered the best way to chemically adapt chaulmoogra into an injection that caused no uncomfortable side effects.

The Ball method, as Hollmann called her discovery, transformed chaulmoogra oil into the simplest cure for leprosy until introduction of sulfones in the late Nineteen Forties.

In 1920, 78 patients in Honolulu were cured using the Ball Method. A yr later, 94 more were treated The Public Health Service took note of this the morale of all patients improved dramatically. For the first time there was hope for a cure.

Tragedy, Ball he did not have a likelihood to brag over this achievementas she died inside a yr at the age of only 24, possibly from exposure chlorine gas in the lab.

Ball’s legacy, lost and located

Ball’s death meant she had no opportunity to publish her research. Arthur Dean, chairman of the College of Hawaii’s chemistry department, took over the project.

Dean mass-produced the treatment and published a series of articles on chaulmoogra oil. He modified the name of the Ball method to the “Dean Method” i he never credited Ball for her work.

Ball’s other colleagues did try to guard Ball’s legacy. A 1920 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association praises Ball’s method, while Hollmann explicitly credits Ball in his 1922 article.

The ball is described in detail in Article from 1922 in volume 15, issue 5, Current History, an educational publication on international affairs. This feature is taken from: a June 1941 issue “Negro History Bulletin” by Carter G. Woodson, referring to Ball’s achievements and premature death.

Joseph Duttona respected religious volunteer in the leper settlements of Molokai, he further referred to Ball’s work in Widely published memoirs from 1932 for a popular audience.

Historians like Paweł Wermager it later led to a modern reckoning with Ball’s mistreatment by Dean and others, ensuring that Ball received proper recognition for her work. Following the work of Wermager et al., University of Hawaii honored the Ball in 2000 with a bronze badgeattached to the last remaining chaulmoogra tree on campus.

In 2019, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine added Ball’s name outside his constructing. Ball’s story was even featured in a 2020 short film, “Ball method

Ball’s method represents each a scientific achievement and a history of marginalization. The young woman of color pioneered the treatment of a highly stigmatizing disease that disproportionately affected already disenfranchised indigenous people.

The state of Hawaii honored Ball by proclaiming February 28 as Alice Augusta Ball Day.

In 2022, then-Gov. David Ige declared February twenty eighth as Alice Augusta Prom Day in Hawaii. It was the only thing that fit Ceremony took place on the Mānoa campus in the shade of the chaulmoogra tree.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

Heart of the City: Go-Go Museum and Café Honor DC’s Musical Legacy – Essence

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WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 19: Janet Purnell waits in line at a community event to sign laws recognizing Go-Go music as the official music of DC at Culture House in Washington, DC, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2020. DC Council Member Kenyon McDuffie, Ward 5, wrote the laws, which calls for a program to support, preserve and archive Go-Go music and its history. “I’ve been here for 30 years and I loved it when I first heard it,” Purnell said. “I love Chuck Brown.” (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

The heart of Washington beats to its own rhythm – go-go music. Now, for the first time, that sound has a everlasting home in the recent Go-Go Museum and Cafe in Anacostia, ensuring that DC’s most iconic cultural product is revered for generations to come back.

Go-go, a novel combination of funk, rhythm and drums, born in the streets and clubs Washington in the Seventieshas been a driving force in the city for a long time. Now it has a everlasting home where its legacy will proceed to encourage generations to come back.

The team behind the highly anticipated Go-Go Museum & Cafe is about to carry a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Washington’s historic Anacostia District on November 18, marking the opening of the first institution dedicated to celebrating and preserving go-go—the syncopated, drum-driven funk that has change into the heart of D.C.’s cultural identity.

Heart of the City: Go-Go Museum and Café Pays Tribute to DC's Musical Heritage

Go-go music is greater than only a genre—it’s a culture, a movement, and an undeniable source of pride for DC, especially the black community. Rooted in its syncopated rhythms and live performances, go-go has been the soundtrack to countless DC street parties, political protests, and neighborhood gatherings. It’s change into official city music in 2019cementing its cultural significance not just for Washingtonians but for the world. And now, with the opening of the Go-Go Museum, the genre’s influence will be preserved and celebrated.

The Go-Go Museum and Café is the brainchild of community organizer and go-go promoter Ron Moten, who helped lead #DontMuteDC Movement—a watershed moment in 2019 that defended the city’s musical identity from erasure. What began as a protest against the continued performance of go-go music in public spaces has blossomed right into a broader effort to guard and preserve DC’s unique cultural heritage. Moten, together with co-founder and museum curator Dr. Natalie Hopkinson, has made that vision a reality, giving go-go music the attention it has long deserved.

Located at 1920 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd SE in the heart of historic Anacostia, the museum will feature interactive exhibits, live performances and artifacts that tell the story of go-go’s rise from an area sound to global recognition. Visitors can look forward to finding memorabilia like DJ Kool’s concert jacket, a Chuck Brown promotional cutout and a rare bomber jacket from iconic band Rare Essence. The space may also be equipped with cutting-edge technology, including holograms of go-go legends like Anwan Glover of the Backyard Band.

For the D.C. community, the museum is greater than just an area—it’s a testament to the enduring power of go-go music and its role in shaping the city’s identity. “We wanted to create a space where the community could come together to celebrate and experience go-go in all its glory,” Moten explained. With a recording studio, outdoor stage, and coffee shop, the Go-Go Museum is about to change into a vibrant cultural hub, ensuring that the infectious rhythm of go-go continues to thrive.

As the museum prepares for its official opening in January and special events are planned in November to have a good time Go-Go Heritage Preservation Week, one thing is obvious: the rhythms of DC’s go-go won’t ever again be silent.


This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Halle Berry Wants to Improve Intimacy for Menopausal Women with New Products

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Douglas Evans

Halle Berry takes her passion for women’s health and wellness to the subsequent level.

The star actress, producer and director has been refreshingly honest about her harrowing personal experience with severe perimenopause symptoms and her desire to break down the stigma and taboo surrounding the midlife experience for women. Now, she’s reshaping her wellness platform, ANSWERto give attention to making a community of support and resources, including products, for women going through “the transition” and people who want to be prepared for what lies ahead.

“I know it’s my responsibility to use my voice and my platform to talk about these issues,” Berry tells ESSENCE exclusively. “It’s important that I create a safe community space for women to share, learn, and empower themselves.”

“That, along with cutting-edge products for women, is exactly the kind of support I want,” she continues. “Products that are backed by science and created by experts—that’s what makes all the difference.”

Exclusive: Halle Berry aims to improve intimacy for menopausal women with groundbreaking new products
Douglas Evans

Berry’s first foray into support products comes as a part of her platform’s recently announced partnership with Joy, a worldwide leader in intimate wellness. RESPIN and Joylux have entered right into a multi-faceted partnership to serve menopausal and perimenopausal/postmenopausal women affected by common intimate health issues. Their first collaboration comes via two revolutionary products – a brand new intimate gel and a special, award-winning edition of the vFit+ device.

“What excites me most is the opportunity to really change the conversation around menopause and midlife health. It’s been a topic that’s been overlooked for too long,” she says. “The opportunity to work with a company like Joylux to create products that really work and help women regain their confidence.”

RESPIN Partnership with Joylux was built organically because Berry turned to the brand at a time of need. Struck by vaginal dryness that resulted in painful intercourse as a side effect of perimenopause—initially misdiagnosed as herpes—the Oscar winner sought answers and shortly found solutions designed by Joylux obstetricians and gynecologists. Her experience was so positive that she decided to spend money on and ultimately partner with Joylux through its RESPIN platform to collaborate on products that enhance intimacy during this incredibly vital time in a lady’s life.

Exclusive: Halle Berry aims to improve intimacy for menopausal women with groundbreaking new products
Douglas Evans

This LET’S SPIN intimate gel offers unparalleled hydration, comfort and pleasure. Packaged in an elegantly designed, recyclable glass bottle with a deep red, luxurious matte finish, the product looks more like an expensive face cream that belongs on the nightstand than the everyday gels that you simply often discreetly grab from the pharmacy and conceal in the medication cabinet.

RESPIN worked closely with Joylux Ob-Gyn Sarah de la Torre, MD, to develop and test the product for over a yr. Ultimately, they created a formula enriched with hyaluronic acid and aloe, pH-balanced for delicate skin, and formulated with pure ingredients freed from parabens, PEGs, and glycerin that Berry says “changed her life.” Although it was developed with the needs of ladies in various stages of menopause in mind, LET’S SPIN elevates intimacy for everyone, no matter age, gender, or stage of life.

“After years of dedication to creating products that improve women’s lives, it was so empowering to receive the call from Halle and RESPIN,” said Colette Courtion, founder and CEO of Joylux, in a press release. “Through Halle’s powerful voice, her advocacy, and the RESPIN platform, we are able to amplify our message and reach millions of women who want to improve their health and well-being. LET’S SPIN is a product for everyone.”

Exclusive: Halle Berry aims to improve intimacy for menopausal women with groundbreaking new products
Douglas Evans

In addition to the gel, Berry also provided personal input that helped develop Intimate wellness device RESPIN x Joylux vFit+ Red Lighta special menopause kit with a chrome finish and a particular silver storage bag. Using advanced red light and thermal energy technology, the device allows users to promote hydration, improved sensations and higher pelvic floor health within the comfort of their very own home. Previously available only through doctors, this luxury home-use device provides noticeable improvements after just a number of weeks of standard use, boosting confidence and enhancing intimacy.

RESPIN X JOYLUX LET’S SPIN Intimate Gel ($45) and vFit+ Red Light Intimate Wellness Device ($495) will probably be available on September 24, 2024 at joylux.com and at more online retailers this fall, including RESPIN, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Ulta, Neiman Marcus, Goop, Amazon and choose physician practices. It may even be available globally in Canada and the UK through select partners.

Exclusive: Halle Berry aims to improve intimacy for menopausal women with groundbreaking new products
Douglas Evans

Of course, the launch of this product is just the primary of many exciting developments for Berry and RESPIN. With the goal of empowering women to embrace this natural change and take away the shame associated with aging into femininity at the guts of her mission, the actress hopes that girls will probably be inspired by the everlasting beauty that comes with this stage of life.

“As the RESPIN community grows, I would like to connect with more women, help them feel more confident to talk about their experiences, and give them the tools they need to feel confident, healthy, and celebrated,” she says.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

Climate change is a pollution problem, and countries know how to deal with pollution threats – think DDT and acid rain

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Climate change could seem insurmountable. But if you happen to take a closer have a look at its causes, you realize that history is stuffed with similar health and environmental threats that humanity has overcome.

The predominant explanation for climate change is carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels – is just one other pollutant. And countries know how to reduce harmful pollutants. They did so with the pesticide DDT, lead paint, and power plant emissions that caused acid rain, amongst many others.

In each case, growing public outcry eventually led to policy changes, despite industry resistance. Under pressure from laws and regulations, industry ramped up production of safer alternatives.

I’m earth and environmental scientistand my latest book “Reclaiming our planet,” explores the teachings of history in overcoming seemingly insurmountable threats. Here are some examples:

DDT ban despite industry opposition

DDT was the primary truly effective pesticide and considered miraculous. Killing mosquitoes and lice, eliminated malaria and other diseases in lots of countries, and in agriculture it saved tons of crops.

After World War II, DDT was utilized in farms, buildings and gardens throughout the United States. However, it also had its drawbacks. accumulated in mother’s milk to levels that would deliver a toxic dose to infants. Women were It was discouraged breastfed their children within the Sixties due to the risks.

The American bald eagle population was decimated by DDT. After the chemical was banned, the eagles began to get better.
United States Fish and Wildlife Service

In addition, DDT bioaccumulated within the food chain to toxic levels in peak species reminiscent of raptors. This weakened eggshells to the purpose that brood moms crushed their eggs. White-tailed eagles were reduced to 417 breeding pairs throughout North America by 1967 and were placed on the endangered species list.

Biologist Rachel Carson documented the damage DDT caused to her body 1962 book “Silent Spring”“and thus launched the general public environmental movement. Despite disinformation campaigns and attacks from the chemical industry, enormous social pressure on politicians led to congressional hearings, state and federal restrictions and finally the USA ban on the overall use of DDT in 1972.

A woman speaks at a table in front of several microphones during a congressional hearing.
Rachel Carson, whose book “Silent Spring” pioneered pesticide research, testifies before a Senate committee in Washington, D.C., June 4, 1963.
AP Photo/Charles Gorry

White-tailed Eagles recovered up to 320,000 within the United States by 2017, in regards to the same because the population before European settlement. The chemical industry, faced with the ban on DDT, quickly developed much safer pesticides.

Gathering evidence on the risks of lead

Application of lead increased dramatically within the twentieth centuryespecially in paints, plumbing and gasoline. It was so common that nearly everyone was exposed to metal that, according to research, could also be harmful the kid’s kidneys, liver, cardiovascular system and brain development.

Clair “Pat” Patterson, a geochemist on the California Institute of Technology, has shown that Americans were continually exposed to lead at near toxic levels. Human skeletons from the Sixties were found to have up to 1200 times lead of ancient skeletons. Today health standards say that it is no protected level of lead within the blood.

Older home with peeling paint on exterior walls behind porch. Construction equipment is on a new step that is being built on porch.
Lead-based paint was banned for home use within the U.S. in 1978, but lead paint present in older homes can still chip, posing a health risk to children.
Environmental Protection Agency

Despite threats each personal and skilled, and an industry disinformation campaign, Patterson and his supporters evidence has been collected from years warn the general public and ultimately pressure politicians to ban the usage of lead in lots of applications, including petrol AND residential paints.

After the regulations were introduced, the industry accelerated production of substitutesAs a result, the extent of lead within the blood of kids reduced by 97% over the following few a long time. Although lead exposure is now less common, some persons are still exposed to dangerous levels present in homes, pipes and soil, often in low-income neighborhoods.

Stopping Acid Rain: An International Concern

Acid rain is primarily brought on by the discharge of sulfur dioxide into the air in the course of the burning of coal, high-sulfur oil, and the smelting and refining of metals. interacts with rain or fogThe acid rain that falls can destroy forests, kill lake ecosystems, dissolve monuments and corrode infrastructure.

The damage brought on by acid rain in Europe and North America within the twentieth century showed the world that air pollution, which is not limited to national borders, can grow to be a world crisis requiring international solutions.

The problem of acid rain began greater than a hundred years ago, but sulfur dioxide levels grew rapidly after World War IIIn 1952, a thermal inversion occurred in London, which resulted within the concentration of sulfur dioxide and other air pollutants being so high that killed 1000’s of individualsAs damage to forests and lakes worsened across Europe, countries signed international agreements In the Eighties, actions were taken to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.

A forest with many trees without the needs of pines.
Trees died as a results of acid rain within the Czech Republic in 1998. Forests in lots of parts of Europe and North America have suffered damage from acid rain.
Photo by Seitz/ullstein via Getty Images

In the US, emissions from Midwestern power plants killed fish and trees within the pristine Adirondacks. The destruction, health problems and quite a few disasters outraged public opinion, to which politicians responded.

Sulfur dioxide listed as certainly one of six criteria for air pollution in groundbreaking study U.S. Clean Air Act of 1970which required the federal government to set limits on its release. Power plants scrubbers installed to capture pollution and over the following 40 years, the concentration of sulfur dioxide within the U.S. reduced by about 95%.

Parallels with climate change

There are many similarities between these examples and climate change today.

Mountains scientific evidence show how carbon dioxide emissions are created by burning fossil fuels in vehicles, factories and power plants They are warming the planetThe fossil fuel industry has begun to exploit its political power AND disinformation campaigns a long time ago to block regulations the aim of which was to decelerate climate change.

People all around the world are struggling with increasing heat and weather disasters brought on by global warming. calling for motion to stop climate change and spend money on cleaner energy.

First Earth Dayin 1970, it attracted 20 million people. Recent years have seen a change in attitudes towards climate change and attracted hundreds of thousands people all around the world.

The street was packed with people, many holding signs calling on the Biden administration to take action on climate change.
Public campaigns and mass demonstrations to combat climate change, reminiscent of the one in New York in 2023, help to put social pressure on politicians.
Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images

The challenge was to get politicians to act, but that is is slowly changing in lots of countries.

The United States has begun investing in scaling up several tools to mitigate climate changeincluding electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Federal and state policies reminiscent of requirements for renewable energy production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are also key to pushing industries to switch to less harmful alternatives.

Climate change is a global problem that may require worldwide motion. International agreements are also helping more countries take steps forward. One change that countries have been discussing for years could help bolster those efforts: ending billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded fossil fuel subsidies and allocating these funds to healthier solutions could help decelerate climate change.

This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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