Medical Research: Hela Cells

When Henrietta was at John Hopkins receiving her cancer treatment a doctor by the name of TeLinde took a sample of Henrietta’s cervix without her knowledge or consent. “But first-though no one had told Henrietta that Telinde was collecting sample or asked she wanted to be a donor-Wharton picked up a sharp knife and shaved two dime-sized pieces of tissue from Henritta’s cervix: one from her tumor, and one from the healthy cervical tissue nearby. Then he placed the sample in a glass dish” (Skloot, 2010, 33). At the time of the treatment Henrietta was unconscious and completely unable to accept or reject the biopsy (Skloot, 2010, 33). Acquiring proper consent from an individual is an ongoing process and needs to be asked for at every stage of a study with human subjects. The basic

Clearly, these researchers had their own agenda to acquire a medical breakthrough that would change the history of science and contribute to the greater good of society. However, their authority was used in an unwarranted manner to accomplish their goals, regardless of their respectable intentions in wanting to make medical progress. In reviewing these researchers and medical practitioners’ actions during the 1950’s which entails series of unethical behaviors and violation of human right, it develops an essential need to establish guidelines in the attempt to protect patient’s rights and privacy. Furthermore, due to the alternatives that arise throughout this case, there are many possible outcomes to be considered that could have a significant impact on stakeholders if these courses of action are fallowed. These solutions consequences may involve the tentative research, an advance way of life for the Lack’s family, political turmoil, economic health impact and a society whose cells may have similar experience.

The art of medicine and curing diseases was not always approached in a scientific way. In fact, many advances occurred between 1919 to 1939, after technological advances allowed scientists to apply the scientific method to medical research. At this time, the ethics of using patients as test subjects either for new medicines or as samples for further testing were not considered. An extreme example of this was the Nazi’s using concentration camp inmates – including children – to run painful and invasive experiments. More modern examples are not so easy to identify as unethical, however. While amputating a leg to develop methods to deal with fractures and war wounds is obviously unethical, harvesting cells to develop a vaccine is not so clear cut, as the disadvantage to the patient is hard to identify. Coming from the various Nazi testing and especially the Nuremberg testing and trials, another code of ethics was developed, called the Nuremberg Code.

so it’s their legacy it still lives on with them through their everyday lives today. They were affected by their mother’s death also because with so much attention being on their mothers that must have drastically changed her children’s lives greatly because they have an immortal mother.” Deborah Lacks was still in diapers, her 30-year-old mother, Henrietta Lacks, lay in a segregated ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The resident gynecologist sewed radium to her cervix in an attempt to knock out the cancer that was killing her” (Skloot 2). Bobbette Lacks, Henrietta Lacks 's daughter-in-law, says that if researchers had told them about HeLa cells, then informed them of future research, her family would have cooperated. But not now. ' 'I would never subject my kids to that, ' ' Bobbette Lacks said. Deborah(heLas daughter) was desperate to know about her mother 's cells. “We’ve got your wife. She’s alive in a laboratory. We’ve been doing research on her for the last 25 years. And now we have to test your kids to see if they have cancer.” (Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, is the story of Rebecca’s journey in discovering the truth behind HeLa cells. HeLa cells are the first line of”immortal cells” grown in culture; scientists have tried to culture cells before, but the cells died within days of incubation, so HeLa cells were a revolution in the scientific world. With HeLa cells, scientists created vaccines for polio, tested nuclear radiation, and saw how cells reacted in space. Companies benefited when they produced HeLa cultures, and made millions. Although, not many people knew where HeLa cells came from or Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were cultivated without her consent and named HeLa, died of cancer without her

Cell larceny, theft by non-disclosure. Doctors, often without patient knowledge, use patient’s cells to advance scientific studies and make profit. Doctors accumulate enormous profit stealing cells. Cases such as Henrietta Lacks and John Moore highlight the injustices caused by intentional misuse of cells. In contrast, Ted Slavin’s case exemplifies the beneficial outcome that is achieved when a patient and doctor work together to achieve a common goal. Doctors should be required to notify and obtain permission to use patient samples for research other than its original purpose, and the patient or their family should have control over who uses the samples to ensure proper usage and benefits of all involved parties.

In the early 1970s, researchers called the Lacks family requesting blood samples from Henrietta’s family so as to determine which cells were HeLa cells as they had begun contaminating other cell cultures in labs. One has to wonder if the need to identify HeLa cells from other cells hadn’t arisen, than perhaps the Lacks family would have never been told of impact of their mother’s cells. As it is, the researchers who contacted the Lacks family didn’t make much effort to explain the situation to Day Lacks, Henrietta’s husband, or her children. Mr. Lacks had only a third grade education, so he didn’t know

Medicine is a scientific creation that allows people to save the lives of others. In some cases, people give a part of themselves while they are still alive or after death to help the lives of other people. So, is it completely wrong that doctors use the tissues and cells from left over procedures or the findings they seem valuable during procedures without consent for research? Is it wrong that patients and families are not compensated from the miraculous research doctors may or not discover? Doctors everyday are saving the lives of people with the help from cell and tissue research. What seems to be the issue is that people are more irritated by the fact they are not being notified or asked for consent before hand. In a lot of cases, most patients wouldn’t allow the use of their tissues to

In the year 1951, an African American woman known as Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer. Unknowingly, her cancerous cells would later be discovered as the first immortal human cells. These cells were then referred to as HeLa by Doctor Gey, who was a tissue expert at the Hopkins Hospital. Her cells were discovered as the first human cells without her ever knowing they had been removed from her body and cultured. Rebecca Skloot, a journalist, and author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks embarked on a journey to discover more about Henrietta Lacks’s struggle, pain, and efforts to get treatment. Henrietta nor her family members were ever told of the cultured cells, but would later find out and be very upset. They would be shocked

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot is a medical biography that has forced me to question the ethics of the methods used in past scientific discoveries. HeLa cells are an immortal cell line that has been a major tool used in biological discoveries; such as the vaccine for polio, discovery of genetic diseases, cloning, and HIV and cancer treatments. Although most of the general public rarely has heard of HeLa cells, they receive the benefits of the medical research HeLa cells have been instrumental in creating. Even those who know of HeLa cells most likely did not know they originated from a poor, black, uneducated woman named Henrietta Lacks, before the release of Skloot’s biography. Lacks had a fatal case of cervical cancer

In a world with over billions of people, it’s astounding to think that biologically, we are all so different, yet so alike. As generations pass, our biological design evolves and new health risks arise, which require new cures to be discovered. Researchers for decades have turned to human tissue samples for some insight and profit on the biological vulnerabilities that have surfaced through out human history. The author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot raises the subject of human tissue samples through her piece on the first immortal cells discovered and the advances it caused in the field of medical science. Unfortunately, the human body is designed in a way where while our biological make up is similar yet sometimes incompatible with one another’s. Catherine Walby, the author of “Biomedicine, Tissue Transfer and Intercorporeality”, discusses the unique identity each individuals tissues hold and the biological limitations not only physically, but psychologically when it comes to organ transplants or other bodily exchanges. Her article expresses the individuality in each individuals tissues and how it’s more than just a biological exchange. To preserve the personhood of human tissues, consent laws then come in to play. David Wendler’s article, “Consent for Research With Biological Samples: One-Time General Consent Versus a Gift Model”, explores the legality of different forms of consent

The woman commonly known as Henrietta Lacks is a woman who's cells were unrightfully used by scientists for their own benefit. Although her cells have caused great achievements and scientific discoveries in science she was never credited for her unauthorized donation of cells. Henrietta Lacks might not even be her real name, and because of this the cells have been referred to as the HeLa cells. Consent has always been a major issue in scientific discovery and scientific testing, but no one specifically gave the scientists promotion to remove cells from Henrietta Lacks dead body.

The book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, was a nonfiction story about the life of Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Henrietta did not know that her doctor took a sample of her cancer cells a few months before she died. “Henrietta cells that called HeLa were the first immortal human cells ever grown in a laboratory” (Skloot 22). In fact, the cells from her cervix are the most important advances in medical research. Rebecca was interested to write this story because she was anxious with the story of HeLa cells. When she was in biology class, her professor named Donald Defler gave a lecture about cells. Defler tells the story about Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells. However, the professor ended his

Of course when they reviewed the case, the supreme court found out that John Moore had signed an informed consent stating “I (do, do/not) voluntarily grant to the University of California all rights/ I, may have in any cell line or potential product which might be developed from the blood and/or bone marrow obtained from me” (McLellan, D. 2001). This showed that Moore had agreed to the research project by signing this informed consent, and he lost the case. This case made it clear that once the tissue has left a person’s body, regardless of whether a consent is provided, it’s no longer owned by that person, and therefore that person cannot control its fate. This results in people having no claim to the profits that come from the use of their tissue.

I think medical professionals still go under the table to get cells and other biological elements with a patient because there are many individuals who are not comfortable or agree with having their cells