![]() I do refer to a few parts of the book, so if you’re highly allergic to spoilers like me, you may wish to read the entirety of this review only after having read the book yourself.)Īn intersection between science and the humanities I’ve also included an amazing TED-Ed video as well as links for further reading on Henrietta and the HeLa cells. (This is another one of my lengthier book reviews, more of my reflections after reading the book than a concise recommendation. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells her story. The above paragraph is taken from the Johns Hopkins Medicine page dedicated to Henrietta Lacks. ![]() Her cells, known as HeLa cells, remain a remarkably durable and prolific line of cells used in research around the world. ![]() Henrietta Lacks was a woman who unknowingly donated her cells at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, beginning what was the first, and, for many years, the only human cell line able to reproduce indefinitely. But she-and her family-had also been unfairly and sometimes cavalierly disregarded, as the scientific community sought only to advance their own interests. Henrietta did not die at the hands of white policemen. But you may not have heard of another name, also belonging to an African American: Henrietta Lacks. I’m sure you’ve heard of George Floyd-the one name that has been reverberating through social media and the press for days. Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks She wanted to have a bigger family, but with undergoing treatment, it stopped that completely, shattering her dreams of having anymore children of her own.The compelling story of a single cell line that revolutionised medical and scientific research-cultured from cells taken unknowingly from an African American woman nearly 70 years ago. To Henrietta, reproducing was a valued thing. Her death, in 1951, might have been prevented, but even if the radiation did kill the cancer, she'd never be able to reproduce. The help was no match for the tumor that, over time, spread throughout her body and claimed the life of Henrietta Lacks. The radiation eventually began burning both the internal and external parts of her body around the vaginal/cervix area. " By then she had already began her rounds of treatment and "it was too late," so there was nothing Henrietta could do about it. When she found out her restriction, she immediately started to regret getting the help she already began receiving, saying that, ".if she had been told so before, she would not have gone through with. Not only was that wrong to not inform her of the effects of the radiation, but lie to the records that he did. He stated in his charts that he did, but it was a lie. The doctor never informed her that her treatment would prevent her from having any more kids. The news that she would later find out would cause her to regret even finding ease in the first place. This was thought as a good thing to help her, but what she didn't know was that something meant to help her would actually end up hurting her. In Henrietta's case, in order to shrink her tumor, she'd have to undergo radiation. It's essential for a doctor to have the consent of the patient before operating on them because if something goes wrong, the doctor will be the one at fault. ![]() Instead of her almost year battle, the cancer cells would have spread quicker and cut her time short a couple of months. Stopping Lack’s radiation would have still killed her, but faster than it did. Although, it did hurt her, however, it did help her as well. Gey’s diagnosis, then he probably would have stopped the diagnosis and radiation, which was even still harming instead of helping Henrietta. If Henrietta Lacks would have doubted Dr. Since Henrietta was a female, she had absolutely no authority or right to question a male, especially because she was a Negro and he was white. This was the complete opposite of what actually happened. Since he was a doctor, Henrietta believed that he would do what’s best for her and that he knew what he was doing. Gey, who she knew best, because he was a doctor.Īs you read this section of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on page 63, you feel that the credibility of the doctor towards Henrietta Lacks. She constantly spent days in agonizing pain and “…she thought the cancer was spreading, that she could feel it moving through her, but found nothing wrong with her.” Although Henrietta felt the excruciating pain that the cervical cancer left her with, she listened to Dr. Even though Henrietta felt the cancer multiplying inside of her, many felt like it wasn’t true.
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