For a class that I am taking (the reason for this blog) we were assigned a semester project in which we read a book that focuses on a topic that is a current issue. Mine was initially going to be human experiments, like what the Nazi’s did in WWII led by the Angel of Death or also known as Dr. Josef Mengele. But unfortunately finding a book about that was more of a challenge then I wanted to deal with (our librarians couldn't think of one). So I changed it to cell manipulation and stuff of that sort and had been given the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. I have been told and quickly finding out that this is about a fairly uneducated woman who is black and had REALLY BAD cervical cancer, that would leave her infertile due to treatment (she loved to have kids she had 5, also married her cuz David, or Day) and her cells were taken without her consent because she went to Johns Hopkins Hospital and there, apparently the doctors think that the patents are “open game” because it was a charity hospital so they felt they owed them. For the author Rebecca Skloot getting in touch with Henrietta’s family was a feet of its own. The lacks’ were tiered of people trying to contact them about her cells (HeLa cells). The one responsible for the “immortal” (just doubles itself every 24 hours) cells is Dr. George Gey and his assistant Mary Kubicek. They were given the cells and they found a substance of which would allow them to grow forever. Her cells later go into space and about 50 million metric tons made.
P.S. Henrietta is a strong stubborn nice loving woman who doesn’t show weakness. Also this takes place between the years 1920-2009 and there is some notable issues that are caused by race.
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