As a product of science, Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) became immortalized. Constantly growing and multiplying, HeLa cells gave scientist the ability to study the intricacies of how cells work. One of the greatest event in science history was a result from the greatest maladies of all illnesses, cancer. In 1951, a mother of six children was admitted into the prestigious John Hopkins hospital. What started as a minor issue, transitioned into one of the most ethical and controversial event in patient care. A journey into The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot narrates the experiences of Henrietta's treatment and scientific contribution. .
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
According to Britannica, " Immortality.[is] the indefinite continuation of the mental, spiritual or physical existence of individual human beings. In many philosophical and religious traditions, immortality is specifically conceived as the continued existence of an immaterial soul or mind beyond the physical death of the body (2015)." The concept of immortality takes many form. Historically, kings and conquerors invested decades looking for tangible objects that would grant the gift of immortality. Many events in history ranging from early ancient Egypt to the dreadful Second World War contained men with the desire to flee from the grasp of Death. Despite all the failures in history, an African-American women of six children changed the medical world through her immortality. Cultivated by Dr. George Gey, the cells are able to grow outside the body. Furthermore, HeLa cells are the immortal cells that help funded more than 74,000 scientific studies which lead to medicinal innovations today.
In 1951, the era of racism, Henrietta Lacks was admitted to John Hopkins Hospital. Believing the pain was from a knot in her womb, she went under the care of Howard Jones (Skloot 2010, p14-15). Initially, the diagnoses did not reveal any crucial news, but as more diagnoses were conducted, Henrietta soon discovered that she was afflicted with Epidermoid Carcinoma of the Cervix better known as cervical cancer.
