In her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot reveals how Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman diagnosed with cervical cancer, was exploited by the medical community for the development of the immortal “HeLa” cells that have since become the most widely used cells for medical research and advancement from the 20th century to the present day. The HeLa cells have since led to the formulation of the polio vaccination along with groundbreaking research on diseases such as AIDS, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and possible treatments for various forms of cancer in humans (Zielinski). However, this breach of medical ethics in regards to removing Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge or consent has led to questions …show more content…
Chester Southam, the chief virologist at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, is just one of many examples of the great lengths those in the medical profession were willing to go in order to prove the effectiveness of the HeLa cancer cells. Southam and his contemporaries theorized that cancer was caused by either a virus or an immune deficiency, and in order to test this hypothesis he subsequently injected four hundred cancer patients with HeLa cells to study their biological reaction. Although his intentions were admirable in discovering the underlying causes for such a deadly disease, Southam consciously deceived his patients, telling them that “he was testing their immune systems; he said nothing about injecting them with someone else’s malignant cells.” The results proved disastrous for some of the patients that were injected with the cells with one patient’s report stating, “Henrietta’s cells metastasized” (Skloot, 128). After reviewing the results of the cancer patients, Southam then decided to test the HeLa cells on six hundred other patients awaiting gynecologic surgery, telling them that he was “testing them for cancer” (Skloot, …show more content…
Jeremy Bentham, the 18th century founder of modern utilitarianism, reveals the inner flaws of humanity’s need to justify their actions with the end result, noting that man does not seek to answer ethical questions such as “Can they reason?, nor Can they talk?, but rather Can they suffer?” (Encyclopedia Britannica). Although society ultimately benefits from the development of HeLa, the immoral practices that were the foundation for such advancement cannot be simply overshadowed by the reward that came from it. If such an assertion was considered valid, then the actions of the Nazi physicians that committed such unspeakable crimes could also be justified by their goals of racial purity and societal security. Any of the research collected for the promotion of the HeLa cells was capable of being administered without the violation of human dignity and informed consent. The life and death of Henrietta Lacks is a cautionary tale that reflects the inherent contradiction between the stated purpose of medical research to provide benefit to humankind and the reality of blatant profiteering in the name of the advancement of
Dr. George Otto Gey Rebecca Skloot writes in The Life of Henrietta Lacks, part two “Death” how she was able to contact the family and describes the medical research on HeLa cells. Rebecca Skloot has a hard time getting a hold of the family since trust is a big issue. To illustrate, since Henrietta Lacks cell are legendary in the medical and science community the Lacks family been bombarded with people trying to get information about Henrietta. Because of this, Rebecca, had to first gain the trust of the family before she will be able to talk to the family. Scientist and doctor used Henrietta’s cells on animals and people to study the effects of the cancer cells and gain new knowledge.
Just about everyone was profiting from HeLa cells except her own family. Throughout the book we can follow the interesting stories of Henrietta’s children and the scientist who worked with HeLa cells. Many ethical questions were raised and we can engage in the argument that the author poses. Is consent from patients’ necessary to proceed with testing on patients who are unaware of the procedures being done on them?
Skloots book goes on to expose the unscrupulous way the hospital treated the family, and also shows it might not have been just them. What the world was told to know was the outbreak of the precious tumor cells that would help with sicknesses and mend the families being torn. Without the founding of
About 60 years ago, before African Americans had much respect at all, there was a woman named Henrietta Lacks who was diagnosed with cancer in her cervix. Without asking for permission, Henrietta’s doctors took some of her cells from her cervix, and they took them to do more research on them and tried to grow them for the first time outside of a persons body. Because she was African American, she and the rest of her family were not respected by doctors, or many other people at this time. These cells later became very critical to medical advancements and scientific research for the rest of the world. But, the injustice of this situation raises a large controversy over whether or not this is justified.
One day at the John Hopkins hospital, her cells were taken from her without permission. She didn’t know that walking in that hospital that day, would change the way medical research is going nowadays. The legalities are undeniably in check. However, the ethics behind Henrietta’s story are not. Henrietta signed a waiver that gave the scientists to do things if they feel it will help her.
The novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is based on a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks who had cervical cancer in 1951. Although such a wide range of cancers all across the United States were present during her time, she, in fact, her cells, were selected and collected without consent or knowledge to develop a so called “immortal cell.” This “immortal cell” has been sold in the billions, in which the Lacks family has received absolutely nothing in return for. They were unknown and unheard of. However, the research and understanding of her cells in order to develop vaccines, immunity, cloning, etc. is the base of some parts of modern biology and medical research today.
Some family members still want to sue the people gaining money from HeLa, but others simply want people to see who Henrietta was (327-328). Deborah, Henrietta’s daughter, told Skloot, “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different. (276)” So many advances have been made in science and medicine that the majority of people on the Earth have been affected by HeLa cells at least on time in their lives.
In the “Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, Rebecca Skloot discusses two main issues of the medical research in the 20th century America, which are pertinent to people all around the modern world: class difference, especially racism and ethics of medical research, especially non-observance of consent. Racism is frequently addressed in this reading. Between Henrietta’s house and John Hopkins hospital, there were many reputable medical centers but she was not allowed to visit any of these because they were set up for the treatment of whites. Even in John Hopkins, there was a separate, inferior ward for colored patients.
Through her cells we see the impact it created in medical research and understand ethical issues that arose from this experience. I, as many others in the world, strive for an answer on how to stop cancer from occurring and curing it once and for all. 1951 in Baltimore, Henrietta Lacks was a beautiful 30-year-old mother of five children who went to the gynecologist because of spotting between monthly cycles. On examination a lesion was found on her cervix that was biopsied for pathology and found to be epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, Stage I cancer. This was an interesting case because when Henrietta’s cancer cells were tested they weren’t like other cancer cells; they were aggressive and grew very rapidly.
The topic and history of medical ethics has consistently been a strongly debated issue. With numerous case-specific situations concerning as well as qualifying the matter, perhaps one of the most influential and debatable stories may be that of Henrietta Lacks. With non consensual tissue samples taken, unauthorized distribution of her cells, and seemingly careless radiation treatment for cervical cancer, it might be fair to adjudicate that the lack of ethical practice was apparent and almost even fatal. In the case study of Sofia (“Ethics in The Medical Field:
Henrietta’s story unfortunately begins with her dying from cervical cancer. During her treatment before her death, Henrietta’s doctor requested tissue samples for research and when he began testing them he realized their amazing potential to continue growing outside of her body. This discovery of immortal cells directly impacted the medical community as it was a precursor for many vaccines and medical advances. Henrietta’s cells, also known as HeLa cells, provided countless medical technologies and vaccines that have been used by public health structures to provide treatments to the masses. Public health services, to this day, still provide treatments that have resulted from the use of the HeLa cells.
In 1951, at the age of 31 Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Henrietta was under treatment at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where cells from her malignant tumor were removed. Neither Henrietta nor any of her family members knew about the tissue sample and nor did the Hopkins ever informed them of the situation. Unfortunately after Henrietta’s radiation treatment, her condition continued to worsen and soon she lost her battle to cancer on octomber 4th 1951. Henriettas cells left the Hopkins what they discovered to be known to be the first immortal human cell line.
30year old Henrietta Lacks underwent radiation treatment for cervical cancer at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore In 1951. During her treatment, George Gey the surgeon who performed the procedure removed pieces of her cervix without her knowledge and sent them to a lab. Her cells were used to develop the polio vaccine, used in the first space missions to see what would happen to human cells in zero gravity. Henrietta’s cells were the first human cells ever cloned, some of the first genes ever mapped. They have been used to create some of our most important cancer
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.
An essential part of modern society relied on trust, especially the trust of doctors and scientists. People had the right to make an informed decision about their bodies and body parts. People had a right to their body parts, both attached and cell samples collected by doctors. The actions that the medical professions made will continue to affect future generations in both positive and negative ways. In the contemporary biographical novel, the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot used logical opinions to argue about the importance of consent to reveal the lack of morality from those in the medical field which continues to persist today.