Women's History Month - Elizabeth Lee Hazen & Rachel Fuller Brown

Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 8:43AM
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In recognition of Women’s History Month, Smithtown Matters is proud to recognize the accomplishments of women.  It is fascinating to learn the wonderful and interesting ways women have made their mark on the world.  Throughout March, SmithtownMatters will give a brief history of women who made a difference.

Day 8- Elizabeth Lee Hazen (1885-1975) Rachel Fuller Brown (1898 – 1980) Chemists and Inventors created the antibiotic Nystatin.

Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown both worked for Division of Laboratories and Research of the New York State Department of Health (one in NYC the other in Albany) they collaborated by sharing test results and samples through the U.S. mail. Together they developed Nystatin, the first effective antibiotic treatment for fungal disease in humans (1950).  Nystatin was considered to be the most important biomedical breakthrough since the invention of penicillin in 1928.

 A side effect of penicillin was rapid growth of fungus, which often leads to sore mouths and upset stomachs.  Hazen and Brown developed an effective treatment for the growth of fungus. Today, users include recipients of organ transplants; burn victims, those on chemotherapy and AIDS patients.

Nystatin became available in tablet form in 1954 to patients suffering from candidiasis (thrush). Nystatin is currently available in tablet, capsule, liquid or lozenge, vaginal cream, powder and ointment and is used to treat fungal infections of the skin, mouth vagina and intestinal tract.  It has also been used in agricultural and livestock applications and to restore works of art. Nystatin cream is also used for diaper rash.

Hazen and Brown collected over $13 million in royalties from the development of Nystatin, which they dedicated to scientific research. They provided funds for scientific research and scholarship establishing a trust fund to advance women in science.

Brown and Hazen were awarded (1955) Squibb Award in Chemotherapy.  They received the Distinguished Service Award of the NYS Dept. of Health in 1968, Rhoda Benham Award of the Medical Mycological Society of the Americas 1972.  In 1975 Brown and Hazen were the first women to receive the Chemical Pioneer Award (American Institute of Chemists).  Hazen and Brown were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame (1994)

Article originally appeared on Smithtown Matters - Online Local News about Smithtown, Kings Park, St James, Nesconset, Commack, Hauppauge, Ft. Salonga (https://www.smithtownmatters.com/).