Florence Seibert: The Woman Who Defeated Tuberculosis

The Test That Saved Millions

The untold story of the woman who gave the world a weapon against one of its deadliest diseases.

At the dawn of the 20th century, tuberculosis — known as “consumption” — was a relentless killer, claiming one out of every seven lives worldwide.
Sanatoriums overflowed, families lived in fear, and early detection was little more than guesswork.
Amid this crisis, a determined young scientist named Florence Seibert set out to change history.

Crippled by childhood polio and dismissed by a male-dominated scientific establishment, Florence faced staggering obstacles.
Through years of painstaking research, she discovered how to purify a single protein from the tuberculosis bacterium, creating a safe, reliable diagnostic test that became known as PPD.
This test — still used today — gave doctors the power to identify TB early and prevent outbreaks before they began.

From the crowded laboratories of the University of Chicago to the battlefields of World War II and the global campaigns of the World Health Organization, Florence’s work saved millions of lives.
Yet her name was largely erased from history.

Florence Seibert: The Woman Who Defeated Tuberculosis, The Test That Saved Millions is a powerful, inspiring biography that brings her story to life.
Perfect for readers of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Hidden Figures, this book celebrates a quiet hero whose work continues to protect the world to this day.