Dr. James B. Herrick, a United States cardiologist, discovered sickle cell disease (SCD) in 1910; however, Africans had been suffering from it for at least 5,000 years prior to his official discovery of the disease. Sickle cell disease is a genetic disease caused by a mutation in a gene, and it affects red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are circular and flexible, which allows them to move easily through the blood vessels. Read More