Henrietta Lack was an African American woman born in 1920 who helped science define some of the world’s medical discoveries. Many woman were dying every year from cervical cancer. Little did she know what the future held for her and millions of other people. This situation saddens me as a medical professional because a human was treated as a specimen rather than a person. Even though this was many decades ago, I feel as though there still should have been standard practices in place that prevented this kind of behavior from those who are supposed to be trusted most, health care professionals. The article we had to read in a previous assignment is a wonderful account of Henrietta Lacks life and the impact she made on the world today. It …show more content…
Medicine has changed in ways over the years that one might have never thought twice about having anything like that happen to them. People today have increased their knowledge overall about their health situations and how to treat themselves. Patients are stepping up and making decisions about their healthcare choices each day with physicians. And in this process it has turned out to be so important for people to understand what is truly being done before medical treatment is given. We have talked this semester about informed consent and how important it is that our patients understand the meaning of what they are having done. We need to be able to understand what the nature of the procedure is and what it details. It’s also good to discuss other types of alternatives. Informed consents can also bring up certain topics about the risk that can be involved with the procedure. As healthcare professionals it is part of our job to help look after the patient and make sure that all legal documents are in order. Sometimes when patients come into the hospital it can be difficult at times for them when they are feeling bad in knowing exactly what is going on. There are cases where it’s …show more content…
A patient’s decision-making capacity is variable as their medications or underlying disease processes ebb and flow. You should do what you can to catch a patient in a lucid state - even lightening up on the medications if necessary and safe - in order to include her in the decision making process. Delirious patients have waxing and waning abilities to understand information. However, if a careful assessment is done and documented at each contact, and during lucid periods the patient consistently and persistently makes the same decision over time, this may constitute adequate decisional capacity for the question at
What a lady… and no I did not just spoil the whole paper. Clara spent most of her early years helping out other people as much as they needed. She was always serving other people when they were in a time of need, but for one to know what to do, they must have some sort of calling or dream. Clara first found out how much she
When Henrietta fell ill, she resorted to the only means of treatment she could attain: the free clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The doctors who worked at these free hospitals considered black people little more than guinea pigs, instruments to be used to carry out experiments as they saw fit. As Henrietta’s condition worsened, her doctors observed the expanding tumors in her cervix with little concern for her safety. At one point, “her doctors tried injecting pure alcohol straight into her spine” (Skloot 93). Skloot repeatedly paints a picture of a woman with no other recourses who suffers for the medical curiosity of doctors.
In the “Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, Rebecca Skloot discusses two main issues of the medical research in the 20th century America, which are pertinent to people all around the modern world: class difference, especially racism and ethics of medical research, especially non-observance of consent. Racism is frequently addressed in this reading. Between Henrietta’s house and John Hopkins hospital, there were many reputable medical centers but she was not allowed to visit any of these because they were set up for the treatment of whites. Even in John Hopkins, there was a separate, inferior ward for colored patients.
Henrietta Lacks, the “Patient” HeLa cells made history beyond polio vaccines and outer space experiments. In Rebecca Skloot’s bestseller, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” HeLa cells went beyond just the successful research, cures, and treatments - they told the story of the Lacks family, and the unethical behaviors in the medical field of the 1950s. Henrietta Lacks was treated as a research subject, rather than just as a patient. Her physicians unethically withheld information relating to informed consent, and uses of her biospecimen, while sharing her private information. They ignored her rights of voluntary choice, disrespected her confidentiality, and lacked communication with both her, and her family, discriminating against her race.
Henrietta was a victim of the unethical methods that took place at John Hopkins hospital. She was violated when they decided to take her cells without her permission, and she was never told that they had taken her cells before she passed away. After, Henrietta passed away her family suffered greatly. Her husband, Day, did not take care of the children well. Henrietta was the only one in the family who visited Elsie, who was at Crownsville State Hospital, which was an hour and a half south of Baltimore (Skloot 45).
Introduction The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells. When Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer her cells were taken without her consent. These cells, unlike most cells, did not die in culture. Over the years, they have been constantly replicating and are used in experiments all over the world.
In modern society, most depend on the opinion of a trained healthcare professional to ensure a solution to an issue. But what does one do when the patient has no understanding of the potential harm and side effects caused? Henrietta Lacks, a black woman of low social status, faced the trials of cervical cancer without providing informed consent, or the “legal rules that prescribe behaviors for physicians and other healthcare professionals.” If Lacks had not been a crusader in informed consent, then the legacy of patient awareness would not exist today. Lacks’ story takes place in Baltimore, Maryland when she checks into Johns Hopkins Hospital, to address a pain in her lower abdomen.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a scientific biography written by Rebecca Skloot. I usually do not find myself reading this specific type of genre, but I found myself to really enjoy this book. When I first looked at the cover, I was not expecting to learn about a woman that has changed medical research forever. The famous picture of Henrietta with her hands on her hips made her look like an average woman that may have lived to be an old age. The first chapter confirmed that my assumption was incorrect and that this book consisted of the journey of an important woman that has allowed the medical field to achieve its accomplishments.
Similarly, all clinicians need to gain consent from nearly every patient, either verbal or non-verbal, unless in an immediately life-threatening condition. To refuse consent, a patient has to have all information presented to them by the clinician including; the risks they may face, other alternatives to the initial treatment plan and likelihood of success (SCAS, 2016, 5.3). Consent given by a patient under unfair pressure from a friend/family member or clinician, is not considered consent as it is not the patient’s decision. If a valid consent has been given, then a patient is entitled to withdraw their consent at any time. If a patient lacks capacity to give consent, and has no nominated person with Lasting Powers of Attorney, then no one can give consent on their behalf (SCAS, 2016,
This can make the patient feel like they are in some sort of control (Privacy and Confidentiality). Making the patient feel like they are in control and respected will help establish the trust between the patient and the researcher. Therefore informed consent in the biomedical research is very important to have and should be
Clara Barton, founder of American Red Cross, fearlessly risks her life to help rescue soldiers on the battlefield, exemplifying attributes of a heroine. She is a hero in many ways. She often put her life through many great dangers. She dealt with deaths of loved ones, unfair rules against women, and the loss of many jobs because of her gender. She saved many soldiers during the American Civil War, impacted the Women’s suffrage movement greatly by passing a case for women’s rights, and founded The American Red cross, which is ]still useful to this day to help many injured or sick people.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta, an African-American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line. Told through the eyes of her daughter, Deborah Lacks, aided by journalist Rebecca Skloot. Deborah wanted to learn about her mother, and to understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever. It is a story of medical arrogance and triumph, race, poverty and deep friendship between the unlikeliest people. There had been many books published about Henrietta’s cells, but nothing about Henrietta’s personality, experiences, feeling, life style etc.
Henrietta Lacks, "The Mother of Modern Science" is being honored by the Smithsonian Institute in its National Portrait Gallery. Artist Kadir Nelson will present a portraite of Lacks which will be on display through November 4, 2018. At the age of 31, Lacks, then a mother of five died from cervical canccer. While being treated for the disease, doctors unknowingly to Lacks, took her cells from her body and discovered that lived long and had the ability to reproduce indefinitely while in test tubes.
Lacks health was on the decline and on August 8, 1951, she was admitted to John Hopkins. Within 2 months, the cancer tumors consumed her body and she died. Upon her death, more samples were removed from her body. These samples were freely shipped to other researchers and scientist around the world so that they could be applied to experiments ranging from cancer treatment to a cure for infectious diseases. As research throughout the world continued using the HeLa cells, Lacks identity as the woman behind them was little known.
Consent is patients’ rights because they have right to know what is happening to their life which is fundamental value in professional practice (Department of Health (DH), 2001). Dougherty and Lister (2015) state that consent is a patient’s rights to refuse or to accept a treatment. However, Dimond (2010) said that consent is a voluntarily decision which can be given orally, verbally, written or implied for example if you ask a patient to take their blood pressure and they offer their arm. Eyal (2012) also states that consent promote trust in medical procedures that people may seek and comply with medical advice and participate in medical research. Bok (2013) argues that there are problems with the trust-promoting as many patients give consent despite being to some extent distrustful.