The story of Dr. Percy Julian is an example of one man's hard work and bravery. Percy was born in 1899 in Alabama, US. Because he was African-American, he couldn't go to the same schools as white children. The schools he went to did not teach science. And yet, he had a strong interest in chemistry.
After college, Percy wanted to go to graduate school, so he could become a chemist(化学家). But one school after another turned him down because of his skin color. Finally, Harvard University accepted him. He got his master's degree (硕士学位) at the age of 24. Then he went to Europe. In 1931, Percy became Dr. Percy Julian, a doctor of chemistry.
For the rest of his life, Dr., Julian worked with chemicals (化学物质) found in plants. He knew that some plants had chemicals that could heal (治愈) people. So he made those same chemicals in a lab. That meant more people could get the medicine they needed. He developed chemicals that treated people with eye diseases and ease (减轻)the pain that some people had in their bones. Dr. Julian also used chemicals to invent many new products.
After working at a company in Chicago for many years, Dr. Julian opened his own lab. Then, he started a school to teach young people to be chemists. Dr. Percy Julian died in 1975. Today, his discoveries(发现) continue to help millions of people.
