A chaulmoogra tree, Hydnocarpus anthelminthicus, was gifted and planted by the King Prajadhipok of Siam in 1935 in honor of Alice Augusta Ball on the UH Mānoa campus. A plaque was designed, funded and installed in her honor circa 2000. UHM Landscaping and Campus Arboretum, with support from the Oʻahu Master Gardeners Program, have lovingly cared for the chaulmoogra tree through the decades.
Please read more about Alice Augusta Ball and the significance of the chaulmoogra oil below.
Alice Augusta Ball (July 24, 1892 – December 31, 1916)
Alice Augusta Ball was a UH Mānoa alumna and pioneering chemist at the University of Hawaiʻi (then College of Hawaiʻi). She was born in Seattle, Washington and received her associate degree in pharmaceutical chemistry, first, in 1912, and, secondly, her bachelor’s degree of pharmacy in 1914. She then earned her master’s degree in chemistry from the College of Hawai‘i in 1915.
Her thesis research led to working with several officials from the Leprosy Investigation Station in Hawai‘i, and to the development of what later became known as the “Ball Method” – a groundbreaking technique for isolating the ethyl esterification from fatty acids of the chaulmoogra oil and purifying the active compounds. Chaulmoogra oil had been used for centuries topically to treat skin irritations but was ineffective as a topical treatment for leprosy. Ball’s method transformed it into a water-soluble substance, allowing it to be absorbed by the body. Injectable chaulmoogra oil was the first successful and effective treatment for Hansen’s disease (leprosy) and patients in Kalaupapa, on the island of Molokaʻi, and remained the standard of care for nearly 30 years.
After her untimely death in 1916 at age 24, her work was credited to her supervisor and dean of the college. A Honolulu physician Harry T. Hollman, who worked with Alice Ball, was able to posthumously publish her discovery and work in a 1922 article.
More Info:
Alice Augusta Ball’s 1915 thesis:
Harry T. Hollman’s 1922 article:
Scholarships:
Alice Augusta Ball Scholarship: https://www.uhfoundation.org/impact/students/woman-who-changed-world
UH News Stories:
Alice Augusta Ball Day 2022: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2022/02/28/alice-ball-day-february-28/
Alice Augusta Ball Day 2024: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/02/29/alice-ball-celebrated-2024/
Bust at UHM Hamilton Library: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/12/20/sculpture-honors-alice-ball/
Alice Augusta Ball Day 2025: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2025/02/28/alice-ball-day-2025/
Paul Wermager: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/03/06/retired-librarian-uplifts-alice-balls-legacy/
Photos:
Alice Ball: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uhmanoa/albums/72177720329399924
Alice Augusta Ball Day –
2022: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uhmanoa/albums/72177720329368410
2024: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uhmanoa/albums/72177720329391663
2025: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uhmanoa/albums/72177720329366601