The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot Essay

After her death in 1951, for six decades, Henrietta Lacks did not exist in the eyes of the society, but her cells did. How? Well, the answer is quite simple. HeLa Cells are the first immortal human cells. These cells never die and multiply every twenty-four hours. After spending 10 years to perfect her first book, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot essentially captured the life, the death, and aftermath of Henrietta Lacks’ life. With controversial issues regarding science, ethics, race, and class Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey. From the â€Å"colored† ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells, from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover,†¦show more content†¦It clearly obvious that to George Guy- the man who discovered HeLa cells- Henrietta was the same black women she was before she died and after she died. During this period of time, there were no set laws regarding that a patient must give permission or be notified if they cells were extracted from them. Even so, being African American and a woman during this extremely racist time period there was guarantee that she would even be told or lied to, similar to the 600 African Americans who were involved in the Tuskegee syphilis experimentation who were actually lied to. Regardless, the unconsented medical experimentation of African Americans has been active from the colonial times to present day. In his book, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Experimentation on Black Americans From the Colonial Times to Present, Harriet A. Washington captures the beginning of this abuse to as early as the times of slavery. Malcolm Mills, a journalist wrote a review on this book and comments on how Washington â€Å"paints a powerful portrait of the medical establishments abuse of power by exploiting prevailing racial politics beginning in the era of slavery. When medical transgressions often included painful procedures on men, women, and children who had no legal protection and could not object†. He continues saying how it went through to the 20th century when the dangers of certain procedures and their side effects were kept from testShow MoreRelatedThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1303 Words   |  6 PagesKatelyn Bowles Anat omy Paper December 6, 2015 Introduction The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, is about an African American woman born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, and later dying in Baltimore, Maryland. Through her a life she battled a cancer that was often called a cervical cancer, and she later died in Baltimore, Maryland. Henrietta Lacks, born as Loretta Pleasant, is commonly known for her cancer cells called, HeLa, which is a name made from the firstRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1464 Words   |  6 Pages This essay is about the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, a scientific writer and college student in the 20th century. My objective is to summarize all three parts of the book and argue in favor that the family receives financial and emotional support. Henrietta Lacks and her family suffered tremendous emotional and physical pain that lead to the discovery and improvement of society, which is why they should receive compensation and support from th e American GovernmentRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot Essay1611 Words   |  7 PagesWhen I first began reading the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot, I expected it to only be about the science behind HeLa cells, which I didn’t find particularly exciting. Except, I was proven very wrong. I have not been able to put this book down, for Rebecca Skloot is a remarkable writer who entices the reader with the emotional story of Henrietta Lacks and her family. It is true that there were quite a few scientific studies included within this book, but theyRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1609 Words   |  7 PagesIn her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot discusses how the unfortunate diagnosis of cancer for one woman resulted in one of the most influential discoveries in the biomedical sciences. The use of HeLa cells has played a role in some of the largest scientif ic breakthroughs since George Gey discovered how well they can grow in culture. On the other hand, Skloot’s work also provides a look at the lives of Henrietta Lacks’ descendants. One characteristic that everyone in thisRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1202 Words   |  5 PagesThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is composed of three sections: life, death, and immortality. The first section, life, focuses on Henrietta’s life; from birth to death. Her struggles with cancer, her husband and children, and her strong personality are all included in this section. The second section, death, focuses on the events that happened after Henrietta herself passed away. The official cause of her death being blood poisoning from a buildup of toxins, but there is aRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot895 Words   |  4 PagesThe story â€Å"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks† that’s written by Rebecca Skloot. The author talks about a story happened in the 1950’s, and it’s effects still happening. The aspect that controls the story is power of privilege. In all places, in all times, power of privilege is specified for people who called elite. They get this power to control situations, but it does not mean they all deserve handling this power. This power created to control everything and improve or develop it. It is justRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1235 Words   |  5 Pagesinfluenza, leukemia, hemophilia and polio. Many people have benefited from the HeLa cells but her family. In â€Å" The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot there are many questions about Henrietta Lacks family and if they should be compensated for the cells that were taken from their mother without her consent. Although Henrietta cells have helped the world find many cures, The Lacks family should be compensated for their motherà ¢â‚¬â„¢s cells by the researches and faculties that have taken some ofRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1170 Words   |  5 PagesILofHL Pages 56-86 Summary The book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is the result of years of research done by Skloot on an African American woman with cervical cancer named Henrietta Lacks. Cells from Lacks’ tumor are taken and experimented on without her knowledge. These cells, known as HeLa cells, are the first immortal human cells ever grown. The topic of HeLa cells is the topic of many controversial debates. Despite the fact that her cells are regarded as, â€Å"one of theRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1557 Words   |  7 Pagessegregated society. Suffering for the remainder of her life. Each of these obstacles like a bombshell, altering the life of a poor black woman named Henrietta Lacks. In the New York Times bestseller novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, author Rebecca Skloot reveals the untold and often unknown story behind the woman whose cells helped create some of the most profound contributions in medical history. Born and r aised in Virginia in 1920, Lacks was a typical black southerner, growing up impoverishedRead MoreThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot1299 Words   |  6 PagesKatelyn Bowles Anatomy Essay December 6, 2015 Introduction The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, is about an African American woman born and raised in Roanoke, Virginia, and later dying in Baltimore, Maryland. Through her a life she battled a cancer that was often called a cervical cancer, and she later died in Baltimore, Maryland. Henrietta Lacks, born as Loretta Pleasant, is commonly known for her cancer cells called, HeLa, which is a name made from the first