the immortal life of henrietta lacks, by rebecca skloot
Summary
Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman living in Roanoke, Virginia. Lacks developed cervical cancer, which lead to her death in 1951. Before her death, Dr. Howard Jones, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins University, removed a small section of her cancerous cells. Without Lacks’ knowledge, these cells were given to the leading researchers of cervical cancer, Dr. George Gey and Dr. Richard TeLinde. These cancer cells became the first human cells to remain alive and continually multiply—therefore causing the cells to be called “immortal”. Most other cells taken from patients at the time immediately died in the culture. This was due to two things: inadequate sterilization processes, leading to culture contamination, and, the lack of a suitable culture medium. The cells were labeled as “HeLa” and were given to scientists around the area to experiment with, as they wanted to figure out cures to diseases to save millions of lives. As technology improved, the culture in which cells were stored in improved, thus allowing them to be preserved for longer times and therefore be shipped to further places for more experimentation.
The book goes back and forth between the history of the Lacks family and the HeLa cells, and the author’s (Rebecca Skloot) journey with Debora Lacks (daughter of Henrietta) as they uncover the truth about HeLa cells. At first, Debora was elated to hear that someone wanted to research and write a book about her mother, but, later, she became suspicious. Before Skloot, many other journalists and other whites abused the family, which justified Debora’s suspicion. However, after many attempts, Skloot was able to work with Debora to learn about HeLa. In 1991, Skloot visits Clover, Virginia, to meet part of the Lacks family. She meets with Cootie, Henrietta’s cousin. Cootie claimed that she believed the cells were created by voodoo. This reveals that no one explained what HeLa was to the family, and was reinforced when Deborah admitted to believing that whatever hurt the HeLa cells hurt her mother, who was already dead. She was appalled when she learned that the cells were dividing (she thought they were cloning her mother), being exposed to dangerous types of radiation, and being sent to outer space. This is due to the lack of scientific knowledge that the family has, and eventually drives Deborah to take science classes at a local community college later on. However, this became difficult due to Deborah’s financial and health issues.
Henrietta’s death destroyed her family. Her oldest son, Lawrence, dropped out of school and joined the army. Sonny, Deborah, and Joe were left with Henrietta’s cruel cousins, Ethel and Galen, who tortured the children. At this time, Dr. Gey published an account of HeLa in a magazine, where he told the story of “Helen L” (Henrietta Lacks). Along with the name, he inaccurately stated that the cells were taken after Henrietta’s death, not before.
Because HeLa cells rapidly divided, it quickly became the most popular type of cell used in research. The first cell production factory, Tuskegee Institute, was built, which grew 20,000 tubes of HeLa cells per week, which was distributed to interested scientists at $10 per tube. This practice was later taken over by corporations such as the microbiological Associates.
However, in the early 1960s, a widespread suspicion that the HeLa cells contaminated other cells studied in the same labs arose among scientists. To solve such an issue, scientists reformed their cell handling method and created cell lines to serve as a reference database when demining weather cell cultures were contaminated. Using such advances, in 1966, a scientist discovered that HeLa cells were found in 18 cell lines, which invalidated many years of scientific achievement. Using tools such as genetic tags, scientists began to search for more potentially contaminated cell lines.
When Skloot met the Lacks family in 2000, they believed that “night doctors”, doctors kidnapping African Americans for experimentation, took the cells from Henrietta Lacks. They were also aware that many people made money from these cells, and, they wanted some of the money.
Around the 1970s, Susan Hsu, a research assistant, contacted the Lacks family in search for blood sample to do a DNA comparison with HeLa. The family was told that these blood tests were to be tested if they had cervical cancer, the same that Henrietta had. Deborah began asking the doctor many questions about Henrietta, and in response, the doctors gave her a complex genetics textbook that she couldn’t understand.
Things were going poorly for Deborah’s brothers as well. Joe went to prison for 15 years for murder. While in jail, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Zakarriyya. After his prison term, he couldn’t find a job so he served as a medical research subject—the only way he could make money. Sonny went to jail for trafficking drugs. While the Lacks’ family struggled, scientists struggled to find an answer to the looming question: What made HeLa cells different? HeLa cells were gaining widespread popularity: BBC made a documentary, an annual HeLa Cancer Control Symposium was organized, and a museum was founded in honor of Henrietta. At this time, the Lacks faced a con man scheme: Sir Lord Keenan Kester Colfield, who attempted to manipulate the Lacks family with the motive of attaining Henrietta’s medical records. The family was saved by John Hopkins. In 2001, Skloot takes Deborah and Zakarriya to Cristiph Lengauer’s Lab, where the Lacks learn about cells and what everyone means when they call HeLa cells “immortal.” That same day, Deborah learns that her sister, Elsie, was subject to horrible studies done at the Crownsville Hospital Center. Deborah died in 2009, when Skloot finished the book
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statements because it portrays a particular family that got harmed by the expansion of the metaphorical frontier of knowledge due to American racism and ignorance. Henrietta Lacks, an African-American patient, was immediately demoted to second-class citizenship due to her race. According to the law, doctors are required to obtain the permission of a patient before utilizing their cells for research. The doctors at John Hopkins University ignored this law, and justified their evasion of the law due to the race of Henrietta Lacks. Her cells, now widely known to the world of scientists as "HeLa cells," were used to advance the metaphorical frontier of science in order to study the mechanics of a cancerous cell, with hopes and projections of finding a cure. Blinded by ambition, the prospect of a ground-breaking discovery, and racism, the doctors as John Hopkins University never considered informing the Lacks' family, educate them, nor ask Henrietta for permission. When the family found out that scientists were making money off Henrietta's cells, they were devastated and begin to isolate themselves, fearing that they could not trust anyone. Due to the advancement of knowledge and society, an innocent family was harmed and scarred for life.
Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman living in Roanoke, Virginia. Lacks developed cervical cancer, which lead to her death in 1951. Before her death, Dr. Howard Jones, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins University, removed a small section of her cancerous cells. Without Lacks’ knowledge, these cells were given to the leading researchers of cervical cancer, Dr. George Gey and Dr. Richard TeLinde. These cancer cells became the first human cells to remain alive and continually multiply—therefore causing the cells to be called “immortal”. Most other cells taken from patients at the time immediately died in the culture. This was due to two things: inadequate sterilization processes, leading to culture contamination, and, the lack of a suitable culture medium. The cells were labeled as “HeLa” and were given to scientists around the area to experiment with, as they wanted to figure out cures to diseases to save millions of lives. As technology improved, the culture in which cells were stored in improved, thus allowing them to be preserved for longer times and therefore be shipped to further places for more experimentation.
The book goes back and forth between the history of the Lacks family and the HeLa cells, and the author’s (Rebecca Skloot) journey with Debora Lacks (daughter of Henrietta) as they uncover the truth about HeLa cells. At first, Debora was elated to hear that someone wanted to research and write a book about her mother, but, later, she became suspicious. Before Skloot, many other journalists and other whites abused the family, which justified Debora’s suspicion. However, after many attempts, Skloot was able to work with Debora to learn about HeLa. In 1991, Skloot visits Clover, Virginia, to meet part of the Lacks family. She meets with Cootie, Henrietta’s cousin. Cootie claimed that she believed the cells were created by voodoo. This reveals that no one explained what HeLa was to the family, and was reinforced when Deborah admitted to believing that whatever hurt the HeLa cells hurt her mother, who was already dead. She was appalled when she learned that the cells were dividing (she thought they were cloning her mother), being exposed to dangerous types of radiation, and being sent to outer space. This is due to the lack of scientific knowledge that the family has, and eventually drives Deborah to take science classes at a local community college later on. However, this became difficult due to Deborah’s financial and health issues.
Henrietta’s death destroyed her family. Her oldest son, Lawrence, dropped out of school and joined the army. Sonny, Deborah, and Joe were left with Henrietta’s cruel cousins, Ethel and Galen, who tortured the children. At this time, Dr. Gey published an account of HeLa in a magazine, where he told the story of “Helen L” (Henrietta Lacks). Along with the name, he inaccurately stated that the cells were taken after Henrietta’s death, not before.
Because HeLa cells rapidly divided, it quickly became the most popular type of cell used in research. The first cell production factory, Tuskegee Institute, was built, which grew 20,000 tubes of HeLa cells per week, which was distributed to interested scientists at $10 per tube. This practice was later taken over by corporations such as the microbiological Associates.
However, in the early 1960s, a widespread suspicion that the HeLa cells contaminated other cells studied in the same labs arose among scientists. To solve such an issue, scientists reformed their cell handling method and created cell lines to serve as a reference database when demining weather cell cultures were contaminated. Using such advances, in 1966, a scientist discovered that HeLa cells were found in 18 cell lines, which invalidated many years of scientific achievement. Using tools such as genetic tags, scientists began to search for more potentially contaminated cell lines.
When Skloot met the Lacks family in 2000, they believed that “night doctors”, doctors kidnapping African Americans for experimentation, took the cells from Henrietta Lacks. They were also aware that many people made money from these cells, and, they wanted some of the money.
Around the 1970s, Susan Hsu, a research assistant, contacted the Lacks family in search for blood sample to do a DNA comparison with HeLa. The family was told that these blood tests were to be tested if they had cervical cancer, the same that Henrietta had. Deborah began asking the doctor many questions about Henrietta, and in response, the doctors gave her a complex genetics textbook that she couldn’t understand.
Things were going poorly for Deborah’s brothers as well. Joe went to prison for 15 years for murder. While in jail, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Zakarriyya. After his prison term, he couldn’t find a job so he served as a medical research subject—the only way he could make money. Sonny went to jail for trafficking drugs. While the Lacks’ family struggled, scientists struggled to find an answer to the looming question: What made HeLa cells different? HeLa cells were gaining widespread popularity: BBC made a documentary, an annual HeLa Cancer Control Symposium was organized, and a museum was founded in honor of Henrietta. At this time, the Lacks faced a con man scheme: Sir Lord Keenan Kester Colfield, who attempted to manipulate the Lacks family with the motive of attaining Henrietta’s medical records. The family was saved by John Hopkins. In 2001, Skloot takes Deborah and Zakarriya to Cristiph Lengauer’s Lab, where the Lacks learn about cells and what everyone means when they call HeLa cells “immortal.” That same day, Deborah learns that her sister, Elsie, was subject to horrible studies done at the Crownsville Hospital Center. Deborah died in 2009, when Skloot finished the book
Connection to the Thesis
This artifact connects to the thesis statements because it portrays a particular family that got harmed by the expansion of the metaphorical frontier of knowledge due to American racism and ignorance. Henrietta Lacks, an African-American patient, was immediately demoted to second-class citizenship due to her race. According to the law, doctors are required to obtain the permission of a patient before utilizing their cells for research. The doctors at John Hopkins University ignored this law, and justified their evasion of the law due to the race of Henrietta Lacks. Her cells, now widely known to the world of scientists as "HeLa cells," were used to advance the metaphorical frontier of science in order to study the mechanics of a cancerous cell, with hopes and projections of finding a cure. Blinded by ambition, the prospect of a ground-breaking discovery, and racism, the doctors as John Hopkins University never considered informing the Lacks' family, educate them, nor ask Henrietta for permission. When the family found out that scientists were making money off Henrietta's cells, they were devastated and begin to isolate themselves, fearing that they could not trust anyone. Due to the advancement of knowledge and society, an innocent family was harmed and scarred for life.