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Difficulty: MediumExplicit Detail Retrieval

In 1915, chemist Alice Ball developed an injectable form of oil derived from seeds of the *Hydnocarpus* tree, providing the first effective treatment for Hansen's disease (leprosy). Prior to Ball’s innovation, patients were treated with raw chaulmoogra oil, which was too viscous for intravenous administration and produced unbearable digestive distress when ingested orally. Ball solved this problem by isolating the active ethyl esters of the chaulmoogra fatty acids, rendering the compound water-soluble and capable of absorption into the bloodstream without causing severe localized tissue necrosis. Although her supervisor, Arthur L. Dean, published the method following Ball's death in 1916 without granting her co-authorship, local physician Harry T. Hollmann publicly documented Ball's priority in 1922, designating the technique the "Ball Method."

According to the passage, prior to the development of the "Ball Method," treatment of Hansen's disease with chaulmoogra oil presented which of the following complications?

Select all choices that apply.

  1. Oral administration of the untreated oil resulted in severe digestive distress.Answer
  2. The raw oil possessed a level of viscosity that precluded intravenous injection.Answer
  3. C
    The fatty acids in raw chaulmoogra oil caused severe localized tissue necrosis upon contact with the stomach lining.

Answer

The correct selections describe oral ingestion producing severe digestive distress and high viscosity preventing intravenous injection.
The correct selections directly reflect explicitly stated facts in the passage: raw chaulmoogra oil caused severe digestive distress when ingested orally, and its high viscosity prevented intravenous administration.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Locate the portion of the text that describes chaulmoogra oil treatment prior to Alice Ball's innovation.
The second sentence explicitly addresses raw chaulmoogra oil characteristics and complications before Ball's work.
Direct retrieval requires isolating facts explicitly stated in the context.
2
Evaluate the choice concerning oral administration.
The text confirms that raw oil produced unbearable digestive distress when ingested orally.
Verifies direct paraphrase of explicit passage detail.
3
Evaluate the choice concerning intravenous administration and viscosity.
The text confirms that raw oil was too viscous for intravenous administration.
Verifies direct paraphrase of explicit passage detail.
4
Evaluate the choice concerning stomach lining necrosis.
The passage associates tissue necrosis with bloodstream absorption, not stomach lining contact.
Identifies misread details and incorrect context association.

Key Concept

Explicit Detail Retrieval
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Topics

Explicit Detail Retrieval

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