Henrietta Lacks was a poor, African-American who grew up in the segregated society of small town Clover Virginia in the 1930’s. Her childhood was unusual; she lived with her cousins and grandfather in a four-room log cabin in a very isolated area. She married young and had five children. In 1951, she died of cervical cancer at the age of 31. Shortly before her death, without her knowledge, cells from a tumor in her cervix were taken for research. These cells were grown into the first immortal human cell line, called the HeLa cell line after Henrietta. HeLa cells have been vital for the development of the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and for other medical research. Her cells have been produced and grown in culture so many times, scientists have stated that “if you lay all HeLa cells ever grown end-to-end, they’d wrap around the Earth at least three times, spanning more than 350 feet.” This is remarkable as cells are so small they can only be viewed under a microscope. Despite all this, people, including scientists who had worked with her cells, did not know the story behind the cells. Her own children did not find out until over twenty years later that the cells from the mother they never knew had launched a multimillion-dollar industry. Ironically, they cannot even afford their own health insurance. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells not just the story of the HeLa cell line, but of the woman behind them. Rebecca Skloot also interweaves narratives about ethics, racism, and family. Skloot narrates the book with incredible depth and detail, allowing the reader to envision the story as if they themselves were there. Directly quoting the people involved in the story, Skloot uses the “language of their times and backgrounds” effectively. By using direct quotes from Henrietta’s relatives, Skloot allows the reader to hear the story first hand and understand what the Lacks family has gone through. Henrietta’s children were fearful and confused, as they were not well educated, and could not understand how their mother’s cells could still be alive, while she was dead. The medical people they spoke to never took the time to provide them with even the most basic information. Skloot uses this as an illustration to discuss the importance of medical ethics, specifically with regards to the importance of patient consent. The author also describes other important cases of medical research that were lacking in ethics. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a captivating account of the story of the HeLa cell line, and of the family of the woman whose cells have become a significant tool in medical research. This book captures the readers’ interest because of the authors’ ability to present this story through so many perspectives. By weaving together historical, social, medical, scientific, and personal layers of this story of Henrietta Lacks and her unwitting contribution to scientific discovery, the author has written a book that is not only hard to put down, it will be impossible to ever forget.
Henrietta Lacks was a poor, African-American who grew up in the segregated society of small town Clover Virginia in the 1930’s. Her childhood was unusual; she lived with her cousins and grandfather in a four-room log cabin in a very isolated area. She married young and had five children. In 1951, she died of cervical cancer at the age of 31. Shortly before her death, without her knowledge, cells from a tumor in her cervix were taken for research. These cells were grown into the first immortal human cell line, called the HeLa cell line after Henrietta. HeLa cells have been vital for the development of the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and for other medical research. Her cells have been produced and grown in culture so many times, scientists have stated that “if you lay all HeLa cells ever grown end-to-end, they’d wrap around the Earth at least three times, spanning more than 350 feet.” This is remarkable as cells are so small they can only be viewed under a microscope. Despite all this, people, including scientists who had worked with her cells, did not know the story behind the cells. Her own children did not find out until over twenty years later that the cells from the mother they never knew had launched a multimillion-dollar industry. Ironically, they cannot even afford their own health insurance.
ReplyDeleteThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells not just the story of the HeLa cell line, but of the woman behind them. Rebecca Skloot also interweaves narratives about ethics, racism, and family. Skloot narrates the book with incredible depth and detail, allowing the reader to envision the story as if they themselves were there. Directly quoting the people involved in the story, Skloot uses the “language of their times and backgrounds” effectively. By using direct quotes from Henrietta’s relatives, Skloot allows the reader to hear the story first hand and understand what the Lacks family has gone through. Henrietta’s children were fearful and confused, as they were not well educated, and could not understand how their mother’s cells could still be alive, while she was dead. The medical people they spoke to never took the time to provide them with even the most basic information. Skloot uses this as an illustration to discuss the importance of medical ethics, specifically with regards to the importance of patient consent. The author also describes other important cases of medical research that were lacking in ethics.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a captivating account of the story of the HeLa cell line, and of the family of the woman whose cells have become a significant tool in medical research. This book captures the readers’ interest because of the authors’ ability to present this story through so many perspectives. By weaving together historical, social, medical, scientific, and personal layers of this story of Henrietta Lacks and her unwitting contribution to scientific discovery, the author has written a book that is not only hard to put down, it will be impossible to ever forget.