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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
The true story of Henrietta Lacks should be taught in every history and science class around the world because Henrietta’s legacy shows the influence of race upon access to medical care, medical ethics, science, and morality. If not for the genetic materials collected from Henrietta Lacks without her permission or knowledge, numerous scientific achievements that mankind benefits from today would be different, delayed, or possibly non-existent.
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks visited John Hopkins Hospital for vaginal bleeding and discovered that she had aggressive cervical cancer. During her cancer treatment yet without her permission, Henrietta’s cells were collected for tissue sample lab. The doctor running that lab was elated to discover that Henrietta’s cells flourished like none other, doubling every 20-24 hours.
Today, these incredible cells— nicknamed "HeLa" cells, from the first two letters of her first and last names — are used to study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses on the growth of cancer cells without experimenting on humans. They have been used to test the effects of radiation and poisons, to study the human genome, to learn more about how viruses work, and played a crucial role in the development of the polio vaccine. Although Mrs. Lacks ultimately passed away on October 4, 1951, at the age of 31, her cells continue to impact the world. (This paragraph was taken from John Hopkins’ online archives.)
