Henrietta Lacks:
Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920 to Eliza and Johnny Lacks. After her mother’s death in 1924, her father could not take care of their children, leaving Henrietta and her siblings to different relatives. Henrietta settled in with her grandfather in a small home, that was formally a “slave quarters”.
As she grew up she became very outgoing and spunky, always dancing and standing up for herself. For example, it said, “On the nights Day worked, Henrietta and Sadie would wait until the door slammed, count to one hundred, then jump out of bed, put on their dancing clothes, and sneak out of the house, careful not to wake the children.” She also had five children, who she loved and cared for, despite the lack of income in her family. Henrietta was always complimented on her happiness, liveliness and optimism, which could be shown by her bright red nails that she cared for meticulously. She kept this happiness, and perfect nail care, alive, even after she was diagnosed and dying of cancer.
Henrietta was skeptical that she was sick and had a “knot” inside of her, so she decided to visit John Hopkins Hospital. She was diagnosed with malignant, cervical cancer, which she kept private from her family and friends. The cancer was treated with radiation treatments and eventually blood transfusions and heavy hospital care. Henrietta described the treatment by saying, “Lord, it just feels like that blackness is spreading all inside me”. Despite all the treatments and commuting, Henrietta stayed strong and optimistic. According to the novel, “’She was strong’, Sadie said. ‘Nothing scared Hennie’”.
On October 4, 1951, Henrietta Lacks passed away due to uremic poisoning. Her friends, family and most importantly, children surrounded Henrietta in her last days. Ultimately, she was buried in a family cemetery in an unmarked grave. Her family believe she lies somewhere near her mother, but it is still unknown. Henrietta’s legacy lives through her radiant personality and immortal cells, which were unknowingly taken during her treatment at John Hopkins Hospital.
Name one of the contributions HeLa cells made to science and medicine. Why is this important and how does it impact people, science and medicine today?
Do you think the way HeLa cells were obtained and distributed was ethical? Why or why not?
HeLa Cells and Cancer Cells:
A cancer cell can be defined as, “a cell that divides and reproduces abnormally with uncontrolled growth.” (Biology Online) These malignant cells became important, especially to George Gey who wanted to culture them in order to, “find cancer’s cause and cure.” He believed if he could grow these cells in culture, he could run test and experiments on them, but they never survived. He began taking any cells he could get his hands on, including those from John Hopkins Hospital where Henrietta Lacks was treated.
Why were immortal cells important to George Gey? What did he hope immortal cells could accomplish?
Eventually, George Gey was given cells from Henrietta Lacks’ malignant tumor. He cultured these cells and something extraordinary happened; they continued to divide, indefinitely. These would become known as HeLa cells or immortal cells, or “a continuously dividing line of cells all descended from one original sample, cells that would constantly replenish themselves and never die.” When it was discovered that Henrietta’s cells, or HeLa cells, were immortal, the science community was ecstatic and claimed, “that cancer could be concurred.” Although cancer wasn’t concurred, these cells did many other extraordinary things once given to scientists and laborites all over the world. These things included the "polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping", and other medicine development. The possibilities are still open as HeLa is used and tested on today for medicine and scientific development, despite the controversy surrounding it.
Do you think HeLa cells should still be used in scientific research today?
Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920 to Eliza and Johnny Lacks. After her mother’s death in 1924, her father could not take care of their children, leaving Henrietta and her siblings to different relatives. Henrietta settled in with her grandfather in a small home, that was formally a “slave quarters”.
As she grew up she became very outgoing and spunky, always dancing and standing up for herself. For example, it said, “On the nights Day worked, Henrietta and Sadie would wait until the door slammed, count to one hundred, then jump out of bed, put on their dancing clothes, and sneak out of the house, careful not to wake the children.” She also had five children, who she loved and cared for, despite the lack of income in her family. Henrietta was always complimented on her happiness, liveliness and optimism, which could be shown by her bright red nails that she cared for meticulously. She kept this happiness, and perfect nail care, alive, even after she was diagnosed and dying of cancer.
Henrietta was skeptical that she was sick and had a “knot” inside of her, so she decided to visit John Hopkins Hospital. She was diagnosed with malignant, cervical cancer, which she kept private from her family and friends. The cancer was treated with radiation treatments and eventually blood transfusions and heavy hospital care. Henrietta described the treatment by saying, “Lord, it just feels like that blackness is spreading all inside me”. Despite all the treatments and commuting, Henrietta stayed strong and optimistic. According to the novel, “’She was strong’, Sadie said. ‘Nothing scared Hennie’”.
On October 4, 1951, Henrietta Lacks passed away due to uremic poisoning. Her friends, family and most importantly, children surrounded Henrietta in her last days. Ultimately, she was buried in a family cemetery in an unmarked grave. Her family believe she lies somewhere near her mother, but it is still unknown. Henrietta’s legacy lives through her radiant personality and immortal cells, which were unknowingly taken during her treatment at John Hopkins Hospital.
Name one of the contributions HeLa cells made to science and medicine. Why is this important and how does it impact people, science and medicine today?
Do you think the way HeLa cells were obtained and distributed was ethical? Why or why not?
HeLa Cells and Cancer Cells:
A cancer cell can be defined as, “a cell that divides and reproduces abnormally with uncontrolled growth.” (Biology Online) These malignant cells became important, especially to George Gey who wanted to culture them in order to, “find cancer’s cause and cure.” He believed if he could grow these cells in culture, he could run test and experiments on them, but they never survived. He began taking any cells he could get his hands on, including those from John Hopkins Hospital where Henrietta Lacks was treated.
Why were immortal cells important to George Gey? What did he hope immortal cells could accomplish?
Eventually, George Gey was given cells from Henrietta Lacks’ malignant tumor. He cultured these cells and something extraordinary happened; they continued to divide, indefinitely. These would become known as HeLa cells or immortal cells, or “a continuously dividing line of cells all descended from one original sample, cells that would constantly replenish themselves and never die.” When it was discovered that Henrietta’s cells, or HeLa cells, were immortal, the science community was ecstatic and claimed, “that cancer could be concurred.” Although cancer wasn’t concurred, these cells did many other extraordinary things once given to scientists and laborites all over the world. These things included the "polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping", and other medicine development. The possibilities are still open as HeLa is used and tested on today for medicine and scientific development, despite the controversy surrounding it.
Do you think HeLa cells should still be used in scientific research today?