Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks free essay sample

On the cover photo Henrietta has her hands on her hips and has not yet reached the ago of 30. She is oblivious to the tumor slowly growing inside her and that she will soon leave 5 children motherless, and lead scientific breakthroughs for decades. The photographer is unknown, yet the picture itself has been in various media. Months before she died cells were cut from her cervix. There are many, many HeLa cells in labs today, an inconceivable number intact. Henrietta died in 1951 from cervical cancer. Before she died a surgeon took samples from her tumor and put them in a petri dish. Her cells reproduced a new generation every 24 hours, the first immortal cells every in a lab. Her cells helped scientists find new ways to treat cancer, herpes, influenza, and Parkinsons. Her cells have become the standard in labs. HeLa cells have been reproducing since 1951. There was little information about Henrietta prior to this book. We will write a custom essay sample on Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The family was angry that cells were being sold for $25. 00 a vile. They are also angry that they can barely afford health care when the people who took the cells became rich off of them. January 29, 1951 Henrietta went to the gynecologist. Jones cut out a sample of the tumor and sent it to pathology. Henrietta was born August 1, 1920. Henrietta’s mother died and she was shipped off to live with her grandfather. Henrietta and Day started having children together. Their first child was born when Henrietta was only 14 years old. Henrietta died of uremic poisoning on October 4, 1951; at the age of thirty-one. Shortly after her death planing began for a HeLa factory, in order to stop polio. The public needed a vaccine. On memorial day 1952 tubes containing HeLa cells were packed and were shipped to Minnesota. Sheer put the cells in an incubator and the cells began to grow; this was the first batch of live cells to be shipped in the mail. The NFIP chose the Tuskegee Institute for a HeLa distribution center because of Charles Bynum, director of Negro activity. He wanted it to be located there because it would receive funding, and create jobs. The staff grew to 35 scientists and technicians who produces 20,000 vials of HeLa every week; this was the first every cell production factory. It all stated with the shipping experiment shortly after Henrietta’s death. Black scientists and technicians used cells from a black woman to save the lives of many people at the same time of the infamous Tuskegee syphilis studies. Scientist used Henrietta’s cells to experiment with chemicals, hormones, and viruses. HeLa cells are also malignant and grow much faster than other cells; this in run produces results much, much faster. Eventually scientist discover that hybrids of 2 species could exist in a petri dish with no reproductions; this caused the media to go wild, publishing various sensational headlines. Each new decade has led to breakthroughs in HeLa research. In the 80’s, in a lab, HeLa cells were infected with HIV. The lacks believe that Henrietta lives on (literally) in the cells. Currently Debras son is in prison. HeLa is still one of the most commonly used cells lines in labs toady. In 2009 as the world saw the publication of this book more that 60,000 scientific publications were made on HeLa. They are still contaminating other cell cultures and causing much monitory damage. Jones, Henrietta’s doctor founded the Jones institute for reproductive medicine in Virginia, with his wife. They were responsible for the first â€Å"test tube† baby born in the United States. The Lacks family no longer talk about suing Hopkins, however they still feel they are in tilted to a share of the money from HeLa cells. There is hope of opening a Henrietta Lack museum and getting a tombstone in the Lack cemetery. What I found interesting is the fact that scientist do not have to inform you about when they take your cells with regards to certain procedures. It is estimated that 307 million samples rate kept by doctors, scientist, and labs today from routine medical procedures; they are stored in various storage facilities. The tissue research field is only growing. Scientists use these cells to develop vaccines, they are exposed to radiation, cosmetics, and biological weapons and studied for their responses. Without these tissues vaccines for many of ails today and promising cancer drugs would and could not exist. I also found it quite depressing that Henrietta died shortly after her birthday. It amazed me that doctors would actually lead someone (Henrietta’s husband) to believe that an autopsy could help prevent cancer in his children, simply to collect cells. I am glad that her children did eventually find out about her cells, even though it was many decades later. I found it kind of odd, yet fascinating how the author, Rebecca Skloot became so personally invested in the book, pretty much becoming a part of the Lacks family. I feel like the lack of chronological events added to the story. Dividing the book into life, death and immortality gives the reader a more engaging and exciting experience. Personally I feel that the Lacks family should have been compensated for each vile of Henrietta’s cells. I feel that the instant that the family found out about how Henrietta’s cells were being used they should have been compensated. Overall I really enjoyed the book.