ipl-logo

What Is The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Sloot?

987 Words4 Pages

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot Rebecca Skloot wanted to educate the public, in a positive and negative way, about groundbreaking scientific research. The historic study conducted upon Henrietta Lacks, was any extreme case of a de-humanization experiment conducted by John Hopkins to achieve personal gratification to complete his case work. Ultimately resulting in Henrietta’s death due to Hopkins personal goal of achieving scientific grandeur, her personal death and contribution towards the scientific world ultimately rewarded humanity with an immortal impact upon life’s health discoveries. Although this study may have been extremely impactful towards humanity itself, it goes unnoticed in a major majority of the worlds …show more content…

As 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. Knowing that her life carries on through her heavenly blessing that will forever live on as an angelic body. Skloot’s personal stance of opening a case of history that not many people currently know about. Without Henrietta, and all the cruel negative experiments that were performed upon her. We wouldn’t have made such a scientific leap in advancement and knowledge towards our health discoveries today and the future that is laid out in front of human

Show More
Related

  • The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

    1695 Words  | 7 Pages

    In her work, Skloot reveals Henrietta Lacks to be an African-American woman whose cervical cells were biopsied without her consent. These cells, known as HeLa (a combination of Lacks first and last name), have since been shared among various scientists and researchers and been the framework for ground-breaking research. Unlike other works on Henrietta Lacks, Skloot set out to tell

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks Research Papers

    460 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henrietta Lacks was a poor black tobacco farmer,born in Roanoke, Virginia on August 1 ,1920.Henrietta’s mother died when Henrietta was very young, her dad did not wanted to take care of her and her siblings, so they were sent with different relatives. She grew up with her grandfather. Henrietta died at age of 31 years old of cervical cancer, on October 4, 1951. At the age of twenty-nine she felt a “knot” inside of her. In the year of 1950, she had a full-fledged tumor just three months  after she had felt the knot.

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks Essay

    672 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 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

    Read More

  • The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Summary

    1500 Words  | 6 Pages

    Sonali Sagar Block: 2B May 12th 2015 The Degradation of Morals and Ethics In the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks the author Rebecca Skloot tells us about a non-fiction story of an African American women who is diagnosed with cervical cancer and how the medical community exploited her for use of her “immortal” cells. From then onwards the cells have been used for widespread medical advancement and research. There is no denying the good that has come from this as even the polio vaccine was developed from these HeLa cells. Moreover, it has also been aiding with finding a cure for cancer as well as assisting with further research on AIDS.

    Read More

  • The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

    722 Words  | 3 Pages

    Skloot faced many challenges including her father becoming sick along with being accused of conspiracy, however she did not give up on Henrietta’s story. Rebecca Skloot did everything she could to find research and information about Henrietta and her family, she was even able to speak to some members of Henrietta’s family after much trial to get a hold of them. Rebecca Skloot was able to display Henrietta’s story from different viewpoints, helped Henrietta's family get ready for the book release, Made them aware of their platform they now would have and prepared herself and the family for any publicity and questions after the book release. Rebecca Skloot is in fact the very reason Henrietta’s story is heard today and her family now has a credible source for their voice to be heard

    Read More

  • The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

    1217 Words  | 5 Pages

    After her death in 1951, for six decades, the name Henrietta Lacks was not a recognized name in the eyes of the society, but cells containing her DNA did. HeLa Cells are the first immortal human cells, cancerous cells taken from Henrietta’s cervix never die, in fact they multiply every twenty-four hours. After spending 10 years to perfect her first book, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot encapsulated the life, the death, and aftermath of Henrietta Lacks’ life. Throughout her book, Rebecca Skloot takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through the lens of the Lacks family, dealing with controversial issues regarding science, ethics, race, and class. The journey of the Lacks families started in Henrietta’s hometown Clover, Virginia then progressed to the “colored” ward of

    Read More

  • Review Of Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

    712 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite being considered a blessing for science and the entire human race, what advantage did Henrietta’s cells provided her, her family and her race? The contribution of Henrietta dispensed no material benefits, not even any recognition or gratitude for her family. Instead, scientists and news reporters bombarded them with a series of inquiries. How ironic it is that the white scientists who considered Henrietta unworthy of living utilize her cells extensively in their research? How is it even conceivable that Henrietta’s cells became more popular than her?

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks Limits

    1322 Words  | 6 Pages

    The information about HeLa cells brought great shock and distress to the family, which unfortunately was never completely resolved till this day. In the end of the book (Afterward), the author explains

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks Impact On Modern Medicine

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    A poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks completely transformed the medical field. At the age of 30 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Although this may have been a tragic time in her life, her death resulted in one of the biggest discoveries in medicine today. Henrietta made a huge impact on modern medicine through the use of her HeLa cells. Henrietta was born on August 18, 1920.

    Read More

  • Power Of Hela Research Paper

    622 Words  | 3 Pages

    In turn, this could have dampened her chances of curing the cancer. Skloot does a phenomenal job of subtly explaining the importance of HeLa cells and their impact on the world, while explaining the life of Henrietta Lacks and her family. When told they have to read the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a majority of students will have no clue what the novel is about. That is, until they read the first page of the prologue and realize it is about a courageous woman and her cells, that have most likely affected their lives indirectly. As they continue, they will learn to appreciate the woman named Henrietta Lacks and the iconic HeLa cells attached to her name.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis: The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

    989 Words  | 4 Pages

    Bushra Pirzada Professor Swann Engh-302 October 4th 2015 Rhetorical Analysis: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks written by Rebecca Skloot tells the story of a woman named Henrietta Lacks who has her cervical cancer. It further goes to tell the audience how Henrietta altered medicine unknowingly. Henrietta Lacks was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951; however, the doctors at John Hopkins took sample tissues from her cervix without her permission. The sample tissues taken from Henrietta’s cervix were used to conduct scientific research as well as to develop vaccines in the suture.

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks Thesis

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Racism In The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

    743 Words  | 3 Pages

    Racism in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Imagine your mother, sister, wife, or cousin was diagnosed with cervical cancer and you believed the doctors were doing everything in their power to help her. Only later you discovered her cells were used for research without consent and she was not properly informed of the risks of her treatment due to her race. This story happened and is told by Rebecca Skloot in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Skloot use of narrative and her writing style enhances the understanding of the story. Henrietta Lacks was a young black woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer at John Hopkins Hospital.

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks And Ethics

    462 Words  | 2 Pages

    The origination of HeLa cells, used in biomedical research for a potential cure for cancer, had made many ground breaking discoveries in science; all thanks to one woman, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks. The history of Mrs. Lacks’s contribution to these studies raised many ethical issues concerning healthcare practice. In the short film, The Way of All Flesh, we learn how these cells were revealed by direct violation of ethical principles. During the 1950s, matters regarding informed consent practices were in their beginning stages of implementation.

    Read More

  • Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Essay

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    Scientists and doctors made great discoveries with the HeLa cells of Henrietta Lacks. The family of Henrietta Lacks had to live with the aftermath of decisions made by doctors and

    Read More

More about What Is The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Sloot?

Open Document