Henrietta Lacks

Henrietta Lacks was a woman whose cancer cells established the HeLa cell line. They were the first immortalized human cell line in the 50s. The HeLa cells were able to grow and divide endlessly which lead to their immortality. This enabled scientists and researchers to be able to use and study cells for as long as they needed to which lead to great discoveries in their research. It has been said that enough credit has not been given to Ms. Lacks due to the fact that her cells have become such a prominent figure in scientific research. It is truly important to get to know the woman behind the cells because her family history and her as an individual are vital in knowing where this all originated. Rebecca Skloot did a subpar job when it comes to honoring the family of Henrietta Lacks. It is very troubling because a woman who has done so much for mankind has not even been honored in an appropriate way because many wonder what kind of life she led, what happened to her children, and what shed think about cells from her cervix living on forever—bought, sold, packaged, and shipped by the trillions to laboratories around the world (Skloot, 2010). The book itself is mainly centered around the cells and what these did for mankind as we know it. One definitely has to be in agreeance with Christopher Lengauer and his notion stating that “Whenever we read books about science, it’s always HeLa this and HeLa that. Some people know those are the initials of a person, but they don’t know who that person is. That’s important history.” because must always remember that there is a person behind “HeLa” and getting to know who she was and why her cells are the way they are helps answer many questions. Although the book is written beautifully and does a great job of identifying medicine and bioethics, it lacks in showing us who Henrietta Lacks was which may not seem relevant to many, but it helps give a better understanding of why morals are relevant. In the book we are told that, “There’s a photo on my wall of a woman I’ve never met, it’s left corner torn and patched with tape.” (Skloot, 2010) which clearly identifies that most people do not really know who Henrietta Lacks is, they just know HeLa. This troubles me dearly because “She’s usually identified as Helen Lane, but often she has no name at all. She’s simply called HeLa.” (Skloot, 2010) There was a person behind those cells and a lot of skepticism about how and why those cells were retrieved. This story really helped me realize that even though we may be at the brink of a major discovery, something revolutionary, it is always important to keep in mind that there is a person and a family whose feelings need to be considered that one must be held accountable for. It helped me realize that even though I may be on the verge of discovering something that has never been done before I have to keep my morals in check and take all the right steps in order to avoid any sort of conflict and scrutiny from an individual or their family. You have to learn to be sensitive and understand. Compassion is very important in the field of medicine, and even though there are a set of rules given to you it is always important to make a good judgement call because some things in life may not seem so black and white all the time.