Dr. Ruby Hirose: Biochemist and Bacteriologist
The work of finding a suitable and effective vaccine amid the current pandemic would not have been as achievable if it weren’t for the contributions of Dr. Ruby Hirose, a Japanese American biochemist and bacteriologist. Hirose made major advancements to the development of vaccines against infantile paralysis (polio) and was among the few women recognized by the American Chemical Society for accomplishments in chemistry. She also made strides in improving treatments that used pollen extracts to “desensitize” allergy sufferers which came from her work on alum-precipitated toxoid for protection against diphtheria.
As a child of immigrants from Japan, raised in a predominantly white community, Hirose struggled with issues of racial identity and discrimination. In 1942, her father, brother, and sister were all sent to an internment camp. However, only an accident of geography kept Hirose from enduring the same fate, which provided her the opportunity to continue her research and teaching during the war.
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