Rachel Fuller Brown
Personal Information
Born: 1898
Died: 1980
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
1920, Mount Holyoke College, BA Chemistry & History; MS Organic Chemistry, PhD, 1926, University of Chicago
Professional Life
Field of Study: Organic Chemistry; Bacteriology
Institution/Corporation: New York State Department of Public Health, Division of Laboratories and Research
Degrees & Memberships: Member: 1957, Fellow NY Academy of Science; American Association of University Women
Awards & Achievements
Awards: Quibb Award in Chemotherapy (1955); Rhoda Benham Award of the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas (1972); American Institute of Chemists’ Chemical Pioneer Award (1975); National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee (1994); Distinguished Service Award, NY Dept of Health (1968)
Achievements: discovered Nystatin, phalmycin & capacidin; Nyststin was the first antibiotic to treat fungal disease in humans; all royalties from discoveries ($13.4 million) were split -half to Research corp to further scientific discoveries and half to the Brown-Hazen Fund; she & Hazen were the first women to receive the American Institute of Chemists Chemical Pioneer Award; found a faster, cheaper screening test for syphillis; identified 40 types of pneumonia & created anti-serums for all of them
Worked with Elizabeth Lee Hazen long-distance to develop the 1st useful antifungal antibiotic, nystatin
Nystatin cures a variety of fungal infections, has been used to combat Dutch Elm Disease, & to restore artwork damaged by water & mold
Henriette F. Dexter, a friend of her grandmother's, saw she was determined to go to college & paid for her to attend Mt. Holyoke
Hazen (in NYC) cultured organisms found in soil & tested them to fight against fungi; if she got a positive reaction she would send it to Brown (in Albany, NY) in mason jars; Brown would isolate the active ingredient in the culture; they tested hundreds of samples before finding nystatin
Brown & Hazen discovered 2 additional antibiotics-phalmycin & capacidin
Both donated all the money from their drug discoveries (approx $13.4 million); half was used by Research Corporation to fund grants for scientific study & the other half went to support the Brown-Hazen Fund
1975, they were the 1st women to receive the American Institute of Chemists' Chemical Pioneer Award
The Brown-Hazen Fund supported training & research in biomedical sciences & encouraged women to take up careers in science
She found a cheaper, faster screening test for syphilis
She identified 40 types of pneumonia & created anti-serums for all of them
Held 2 patents