The Immortal Live of Henrietta Lacks is a book by Rebecca Skloot is about Henrietta an African American woman who develops cervical cancer as a result of her cancerous cells which will have a major impact in medicine and science. The book is base on the hundreds of interviews Skloot did to Henrietta’s friends and families. Although her cancerous cells did help scientists with the development of treatment. It also raises a hot topic if it was right for them to use them she they have as the family…
James Tanner The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Timeline 1952 First immortal cells cultured. Collected from Henrietta's cervix. Named HeLa cells. Henrietta dies from cervical cancer. HeLa used to grow massive amount of cells. Prompt #5 Create a timeline that begins with the removal of Henrietta"s tissuse sample and traces the scientific and medical breakthroughs that have been made possible as a result of HeLa cells. Explain how HeLa cells were used in each situation 1953 1954 HeLa…
During my first semester at ECC, my composition class studied the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” by Rebecca Skloot. The book was written based on a true story about Henrietta Lacks and the unethical treatment and research done on her by Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. Henrietta Lacks received radiation treatments for cancer, which charred the exterior of her body and eventually spread the disease throughout her body even more. At first the treatment worked as it dissipated the…
Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951), an unwitting source of first known human immortal cell line or HeLa cell line, and served a vital role in development of the polio vaccine, uncovered secrets of cancers, viruses, in vitro fertilization, and more. She being a poor and African-American had limited opportunities for her cancerous tumor treatment. Yet, the cells that were taken without her consent are still alive today in many biological companies throughout the world and contributed for all types of…
Ethical Mistakes Involving Henrietta Lacks Henrietta Lacks will continuously be used to further medical research. When she died in 1951, her cells were isolated creating a cell line called HeLa cells. After Lacks’ death, her cells were cloned and studied without her consent. The cells obtained from her were special because they were unusually strong cancer cells which could grow rapidly and indefinitely in the right medium (“Quick Guide to HeLa Cells,” n.d.). HeLa cells are not bound by the…
In 1950’s Maryland, segregation was at it’s height-Jim Crow laws were in effect, schools were separate but equal, and the Klu Klux Klan had a mainstream following. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman, whose cancer cells were taken from her without her permission. Though her lifespan only amounted to 31 years, the effect of her immortal cells will last an eternity. Although Henrietta was an African American woman, she received the best treatment…
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is written by a curious journalist, Rebecca Skloot, who spent a portion of her life learning about a woman by the name of Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer in 1951, but her cells lived on. One thing that was most shocking throughout this reading is the extent to which people will go in order to gain knowledge. It is surprising how many scientists, doctors, and other medical professionals treated patients unfairly so that they could…
In my opinion, the results of research (the cells, the cell lines) belong to the Lack family though the cells were used to develop disease prevention vaccine for polio, Parkinson's Leukemia, and the flu (Grady, 2010). The doctors did not protect Henrietta's privacy. A sample of her cells were given to Dr. George Gey, the researcher without permission. Her family members had no idea that her information was released to a third party. There was no informed consent given by the patient or family,…
Henrietta Lacks was a 30- year - old black mother of five when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951. She went to Johns Hopkins hospital to have the tumor looked at; they took a sample and sent her home. A few weeks later, when Dr. Lawrence Wharton Jr. was prepping Henrietta for treatment he took two samples from her one from the tumor and one from her healthy cervix. He never asked Henrietta if he could take these samples from her. Dr. Wharton Jr. took the samples down to Dr. Gey’s…
For many, doctors and scientists are revered, their hospitals places where people can trust they will be cared for, where they can recover and heal. Scientists are heroes that spend their lives combating a seemingly infinite list of diseases and conditions, all for making a brighter, healthier future. Hospitals are places of hope. Through the basic description of their occupations, it seems as though such medical professionals can only be described as good citizens, so how is it that families…