Did George Gey Contribute To Henrietta's Cultured Cells?

Since 1920, a scientist named George Gey, and his wife, Margaret Gey, had been working in their lab at Johns Hopkins to grow malignant cells outside of the body. They wanted to create the first immortal cells (continuously dividing lines of cells that would constantly replenish themselves and never die). What Henrietta and her family didn’t know, was that when a biopsy of her tumour was sent to the pathology lab, the tissue was never thrown out afterwards. After being looked at by a pathologist, Henrietta’s biopsy was then given to George Gey on February 8th, 1951. At Gey’s laboratory, one of the workers there named Mary Kubicek, placed cells obtained from Henrietta’s biopsy specimen into cell culture. Throughout the past years, Gey had been

On page 33, it states “Gey still got excited at moments like this, but everyone else in his lab saw Henrietta’s sample as something tedious- the latest of what felt line countless samples that scientists and lab technicians had been trying and failing to grow for years. They were sure Henrietta’s cells would die just like all the others.” During Henrietta’s operation, Dr. Lawrence did more than treat her tumor, he also detained pieces of tissue, one from her tumor and one from the healthy tissue. Their plan was to use her tissue for new experiments without her conscious, which they were successful.

For example, the text shows how Henrietta and her family could have avoided this situation. “Today it’s possible for scientists to immortalize cells by exposing them to certain viruses or chemicals, but very few cells have become immortal on their own as Henrietta’s did” (Skloot pg.213). This quote shows that overtime scientists were able to make advancements in technology and their discoveries made cells immortal. Eventually, this became possible and proves that what happened to Henrietta and her family was redundant.

Henrietta Lacks died never knowing the impact her life would have on the world of medicine. A poor, black woman living in Baltimore, Maryland in the 1950s, Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer and died only nine short months after her diagnosis at the age of thirty-one. The mother of five children, Henrietta most likely died thinking her family would be her legacy. Little did she know her doctor at John Hopkins hospital, George Gey, had taken some of her cells before she died. With Henrietta’s cells, Dr. Gey was finally able to achieve a goal he had been working toward for decades – creating the first line of immortal cells (Freeman). These cells have been used for countless scientific research and have solidified Henrietta Lacks’ place

After George Gey learned of Henrietta's death, he wanted to get cell samples from her organs.

In the mid-1900’s as opposed to today’s world, consent was not needed for tests to be performed on one’s body and used for experiments or research. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot, focuses on one of the most famous medical breakthroughs which used cells taken from Henrietta Lacks, an African American cancer patient, without her consent. Henrietta had Stage I Cervical cancer and was being treated at Johns Hopkins hospital. Henrietta was treated as a science experiment; she went through harsh forms of radiation and her cancer cells were extracted from her body and used for research. George Gey was the first to discover that her cancer cells were unique due to the fact that they never died.

Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed for cervical cancer in 1951 in the black wing of John Hopkins Hospital by Doctor George Gey. At the time, Gey was searching for cells that could survive on their own in a petrie dish. He took samples from many, if not most, of his patients in hopes of finding cells that would survive on their own. His attempts were unsuccessful until he took a sample of Henrietta Lack's tumor, which managed to not only stay viable but reproduced at a rapid pace. But, there was a catch. Henrietta Lacks and her family had no idea that Gey took her cells or that he and other doctors would make billions of dollars off of her cells long after she died and left her five kids and husband to live in poverty. Skloot tells the fascinating

I hope George Grey burn in hell. If he wasn’t dead already, I’d take a black pitchfork and stick it up his ass’”(Skloot 424). Needless to say, Zakariyya was not pleased with the Hopkins hospital as they took his mother’s cells and profited off them. But to a scientist, this discovery was a magnificent success to the medical community. As Biologist J.Douglas put it in his journal “Nature”, “It is twenty-one years since George Gey established the famous HeLa cells in culture. It has been estimated that the weight of these cells in the world today exceeds that of the American negro from whose cervical tumour they originated. That lady has achieved true immortality, both in the test-tube and in the hearts and minds of scientist the world over, since the value of HeLa cells in research, diagnosis, etc., is inestimable. (Skloot 302)”. Douglas went on to say how it was a misfortune that the public was unaware of the name of the woman whose cells they originally belonged to. As you can see, from a scientist perspective, the story of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa was a huge success, while from the family of Henrietta it was a hinderance on

The basic consent allowed the hospital “…to perform any operative procedures …that they deem necessary…” This consent form does seem logical to prove that Gey did not steal the cells from Henrietta as the cells were used to contribute to a cure for Henrietta; unfortunately, Henrietta expired prior to the discovery. This consent form does not excuse the biopsy obtained post mortal as Henrietta no longer needed treatment as she was deceased.

From the start, the people involved with Lacks only have their personal goals in mind. When Gey, along with other doctors, take Lack’s cells without permission, it is not out of malice, but out of an utter lack of thoughtfulness. He is so preoccupied with obtaining cells, he does not think twice about who they are coming from. In fact, Lacks is not the only one whose cells have been taken in that manner; Gey’s lab is full of cell samples. This blasé attitude permeates the whole field. This is why, “There is no record that George Gey ever visited Henrietta…or said anything about her cells” (Skloot 66). Even if he does interact with her, he does not bother to take note of it. All he is concerned with are the cells, and possibly the name behind it. The journalist Michael Gold is

Doctor George Gey, the Doctor who presided in the surgical efforts preforming the medical treatments during Henrietta’s medical observation appointments. Henrietta Lacks family should be compensated for their family members major driving initiatives derived from researching how to cure cancer because of Henrietta cell cultures. Did Henrietta realize the potency in her body to be a medical breakthrough healing social cancer endeavors more than successfully aiding Henrietta’s survival. Better than most, yet infected as she was, health activist Mary Lasker pushed an advantage for American growth to find a cure to cancer once and for all, in 1971 Mary Lasker

After Gey succeeded to find the immortal human cells, he started to sell HeLa cells without Henrietta’s consent. “Gey sells HeLa cells to researchers in Texas, India, New York, and many others place” (Skloot 84). He did not give any credit to Henrietta. He only told Henrietta that her cells will help many people in the future. “In fact, in the future HeLa cells were contribute into polio vaccine; develop drugs for treating herpes, leukemia, influenza, hemophilia, and Parkinson’s disease” (Skloot 22). Hela cells were also used in cancer treatment and were the first cells that were shot into space.

When the cells finally began growing in Gey’s lab it was seen as a huge advance in the world of science, seeing as no one had succeeded beforehand, this was a great accomplishment on his part. However, Henrietta was never told of this or how important her cells had become, she simply continued living without knowing that the cancerous cells inside her were continuing to grow despite receiving “treatment” from the doctors. Her only treatment was a small patch of radiation sewn directly into her cervix on the area where the tumor had appeared, after some tests showed that the tumor had disappeared she continued with her normal life of farming, raising her children, and enjoying life. Henrietta never complained about any side effects of the radiation, however, it eventually would make her infertile and cause her skin on her torso to turn black.

The truth is the doctors that took Henrietta’s cells were doing it for a good cause. They didn’t do it to ruin her and her family’s life, they did it to help people and save lives. There were no laws prohibiting the taking of one’s cells, in fact in a later Supreme Court of California ruling, it was actually defended. When tissues are removed from your body, with or without consent, any claim to ownership

Cell Culture was first practice with cells of a donor named Henrietta Lacks in the early 1900’s. Cells primarily originated from complex multi-cellular organisms such as animals. Mammalian cells are grown in controlled environments that are generally outside of the cells natural environment because their easiest to grow and maintain when constantly checked for having the correct nutrients and right conditions. Controlled environment that these cells are cultured in mimics the conditions of the human body. This allows for a constant supply of cells to be used for experiments such as observing the effects of certain drug reactions to the cell or even just studying the components of the cell to better understand the organism it was derived