Thesis For The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot I. Meta Thesis
Henrietta Lacks’s family should have been immediately informed of the HeLa cells’ existence and been compensated for the use of them and the industry they created; the moral and ethical principals of consent and privacy, medically, have changed since the cells were stolen in 1951, and while neither is perfect, both have improved greatly.
II. Text Excerpts with Disscussion that Supports Meta Thesis
1. Dr. Gey had good intentions regarding Henrietta Lacks’s privacy, so when HeLa had spread across the worldand people wanted to know the woman behind the cells’ name, he told no one. But, at some point what was thought to be her name got leaked and printed in newspapers and
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Skloot spent years researching Henrietta Lacks, and every source had the same singular fact: Henrietta was the woman behind the HeLa cells. Skloot was determined to fix this by finding the true story and sharing it with the world, to honor Henrietta. Skloot worked tirelessly to make sure her book was filled only with truths, and checked all of her sources meticulously.
3. Throught the book, there are hundreds quotes from primary sources including but not limited to, the Lackses, colleagues of Dr. Gey (the founder of HeLa cells), and Henrietta’s medical records. All of these sources are very credible and Skloot using them as quotes show credibility.
4. Not only does Skloot use direct quotes from primary sources, she also looked at countless outside sources. This book has quotes from lawyers, scientists, journalists, and many other professionals in a wide range of fields. Skloot also used previously published documents from credible sources: the Constitution, public court cases, medical organizations (AMCMA, TCAA, National Library of Medicine, HIPPA), and many books. These sources and more were used for direct quotes, to check her pervious sources, and solidify her understanding of the medical and legal topics covered in this
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When doing research like the author of this book did, it is easy to get caught up in all of the information and forget it is from 70 years ago. What Henrietta’s doctors did to her is unthinkable now, but it didn’t happen in 2023, it happened in 1951, and back then the laws and acceptable practices were different. That does not excuse behavior, but it is still important to keep in mind.
V. Further reading/ Additional Information
1. Joffe, Steven; Kesselhiem, Aaron S.; Truog, Robert D. “Paying Patients for Their Tissue: The Legacy of Henrietta Lacks” 6 July, 2012 https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.1216888
This source offers a deeper insight into John Hopkins and their role in the taking of Henrietta’s cells. It also talks about how John Hopkins as a hospital, and Dr. George Gey himself made no profit off of HeLa cells, but companies outside of them did.
2. Hutchins, Grover M.; Lucey, Brendan P.; Nelson-Rees, Walter A. “Henrietta Lacks, HeLa Cells, and Cell Culture Contamination” 1 September, 2009 https://meridian.allenpress.com/aplm/article/133/9/1463/460899/Henrietta-Lacks-HeLa-Cells-and-Cell-Culture This source gives interesting information about HeLa cells, and how they contaminated nearly every cell line in the ATCC (American Type Culture Control). The ATCC keeps original samples in a sterile environment, and for many years, HeLa cells had been contaminating their samples without anyone
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672 Words | 3 PagesThe Fluidity of Henrietta Lacks. Gender Norms & Racial Bias in the study of the Modern “Henrietta Lacks” Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman whose cancer cells were the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line will reproduce indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to present day. Lacks was the unwitting source of these cells from a tumor biopsied during treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. in 1951. The cells were then cultured by George Otto Gey who created the cell line known as HeLa, which is still
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985 Words | 4 PagesAlso, people viewed this as permissible and not abuse of power because they were securing their success with their latest project and was going to throw Henrietta and her family in the loop after if they discovered the cure for cancer. Yet the doctors could have reduced the risk of losing it all just by giving the family special benefits like better care for Henrietta, her family taken care of, help pay the medical bills and asking for their approval. They wouldn’t say no to helping out other people in need if this research skyrocketed. The worst part in all of this is that Henrietta died a
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747 Words | 3 PagesThe HeLa cell line was known to be the oldest successful cell line which has been extensively used in scientific inquiry. It became an invaluable tool in the advancement on of medical and clinical researches encompassing the development of vaccines, understanding the physiology of viruses and other infectious agents, devising developing in vitro fertilization techniques, and even in the use of genomic sequencing. Remarkable as the number of medical frontiers and research breakthroughs that were pushed and made possible by the famous immortal cells—HeLa, it has also been a great “source of anxiety, confusion and frustration for the family of the woman, Henrietta Lacks, from whom the cells were taken without consent more than 60 years ago”
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858 Words | 4 PagesBlack patients were usually denied access to medical care, and many doctors thought that black patients were inferior to whites. Henrietta was treated at Johns Hopkins for her cervical cancer where she recieved below-average medical care due to her race. Though the hospital was one of the few that even allowed African American patients, it was known for conducting unethical experiments on their patients. Henrietta’s medical records would later reveal her doctors never told her the true severerity of her cancer, and also the fact that they were taking her cells for research purposes. In the words of Rebecca Skloot, “Henrietta knew nothing about her cells growing in a laboratory.
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567 Words | 3 PagesIn today’s world people are endowed to full rights when it comes to their medical wellbeing. When seeking medical care from physicians and professionals we expect a full explanation of our health and possible treatment plans. It is even law that we provide informed consent before proceeding with care. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot is a thought provoking novel that takes a close and personal look at the story of Henrietta Lacks and her family. She is an African American woman whose cells were used for the advancement of medicine, all without her knowing.
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1288 Words | 6 PagesI read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for the first time in high school for a summer reading assignment I was rushing to complete the last week of summer break. Four years later, I chose to read this book again because I now have an interest in biochemistry, in particular a goal to study antiviral agents in the hopes of a Hepatitis B cure. This time around, I understood the significance this book had because it revealed details of the racist treatment of African Americas that are intertwined with the hidden truths and hypocritical acts of the medical system that unfortunately still exist. On October 4, 1951 Henrietta Lacks died from cervical cancer at the young age of 31.
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900 Words | 4 Pages"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot is a captivating non-fiction book that explores the fascinating story of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman whose cancer cells were unknowingly taken and used for medical research without her consent in the 1950s. The book cover depicts a photograph of Henrietta Lacks herself, adding a personal touch to the story and emphasizing the importance of her life and legacy. Skloot's thorough research and poignant storytelling shed light on the complicated ethical issues surrounding medical research and the impact that Henrietta's cells, known as HeLa cells, have had on modern medicine. In "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," Rebecca Skloot masterfully tells the story of a woman
What Is The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Sloot?
987 Words | 4 PagesAs dark and horrid as the beginning of the HeLa research program was, there was a come to peace and rightfully settling of human advancement through Henrietta’s ultimate sacrifice of life. Through Henrietta’s pain, agony and de-humanization if it wasn’t for her unknown personal effort, much impact has been made on quality of human intuition towards certain toxins, viruses and other illnesses. The HeLa cells has established a line of defense towards protecting any further harmful testing to be conducted on other living creatures such as animals and humans. Unknown illnesses and viruses can be tested against the HeLa cells to exemplify how a human body cell may take effect against harmful illnesses and viruses. Ultimately for the greater good, Henrietta’s family over the years could come to the consensus of peace and acceptance through her impact on scientific research.
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738 Words | 3 PagesIt talks about the doctors wanting Henrietta’s relatives blood so they could map the human genome. I wonder what the Hela contamination was. How would her relatives blood samples become relevant to this theory? Also, John Moore had almost the same issue as Henrietta, having his cells taken for research without consent. He had signed a form, but the doctor completely misleads him to what it was for.
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1591 Words | 7 PagesAs a woman of colour receiving healthcare in segregated America, Henrietta Lacks is biopsied without her knowledge and consent. Lacks’ white male doctors, TeLinde and Wharton, steal samples of Henrietta’s although “no one had told Henrietta that TeLinde was collecting samples or asked if she wanted to be a donor” (Skloot 33). Lacks’ theft of biological identity exposes the audience to the overall conflict of the lack of informed consent throughout the memoir. During this period, it is common for rich white men to exploit poor black people, specifically black women, for the enrichment of so-called ‘white medicine’. Henrietta’s doctors, TeLinde and Wharton, symbolize the sexist and racist role of doctors in keeping America segregated, by “[experimenting] on the sick bodies of women of colour … to heal white women” (Owens 111), for the betterment of one race and the sacrifice of
Henrietta Lacks Thesis
1020 Words | 5 PagesThe 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.
Racism In The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks
743 Words | 3 PagesHer doctor collected cancerous cells and healthy cells from her cervix and gave them to the cancer researcher, George Otto Gey, who was trying to keep cells alive for more than a couple days. Henrietta endured intense radium treatments, but she still died at the age of 31, leaving her husband and five children behind. An amazing discovery was made Henrietta’s cell were immortal. Racism is prevalent in this book through the limited availability of healthcare, unethical behaviors of the doctors, and how racism affected her family. During this time, there was an extensive lack of medical care for colored people.
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663 Words | 3 PagesTaking cells was not a part of her surgical procedure. Henrietta was a human being that should have been treated with respect. But mainly, George Gey treated her with everything but that. Taking 20+ years to tell her children
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919 Words | 4 PagesIn the case of Henrietta Lacks and her family, the mistreatment of doctors and lack of informed consent defined nearly 60 years of the family’s history. Henrietta Lacks and her children had little to no information about serious medical procedures and the use of Henrietta’s cells in research. Henrietta’s cells launched a multibillion-dollar industry without her consent and doctors even took advantage of her children’s lack of education to continue their research without questions: “[Doctor] did not explain why he was having someone draw blood from Deborah… he wrote a phone number and told her to use it for making more appointments to give more blood” (188). Deborah did not have the knowledge to understand the demands or requests the doctors made of her, and the doctors did not inform her explicitly.
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