In 1955, geneticist Dr. James Bowman studied favism, the deficiency of glucose-6-dehydrogenase, in Iran. Favism is an acute hemolytic syndrome that occurs in patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency following the ingestion of fava beans.

He would go on to become a profound researcher in general human genetics and ethics at the Howard University.