Mycostatin is a brand name for the generic drug nystatin, which was first developed by New York Department of Health researchers Elizabeth Lee Hazen and Rachel Fuller Brown. Since it was patented in 1957, the antifungal antibiotic has helped cure countless humans suffering from a variety of fungal infections, such as thrush and intestinal candidiasis. In addition, nystatin has been utilized for a number of less well-known applications, such as treatment of Dutch Elm’s disease and the restoration of artwork damaged by mold. In return for their significant achievement, Hazen and Fuller were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1994, but what is perhaps more remarkable is the fact that the women donated all of the profits from their invention to a nonprofit organization that supports the advancement of academic studies in science.
|