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Introduction
Cancer has been one of the most devastating ailments in the recent times. Indeed, statistics have shown that cancer is the second largest killer after malaria. A 2008 study showed that about 12.7 million new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the entire world, with female breast, lung, stomach and colorectal cancers being the most commonly diagnosed forms of cancers as they accounted for over 40% of all cases. On the same note, it is estimated that the disease causes more than 7 million deaths every year, with the figures continuing to rise. Needless to say, the ailment has claimed the lives of numerous people, both famous and nondescript. It is worth noting that extensive research has continually been done since time immemorial with an aim of having a comprehensive knowledge of the intricacies pertaining to cancer, its causes, symptoms, and especially, how it can be cured. While enormous discoveries have been made in this regard, one of the most fundamental discoveries in the history of cancer remains the HeLa cells. These cells are named after a woman called Henrietta Lacks, and are the basis of the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”.
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a skillfully crafted investigation pertaining to a social wrong done in the medical field, as well as the resultant medical and scientific miracles. It takes the readers through the exceptional journey from the Johns Hopkins Hospital’s colored wards of the 1950’s to the white laboratories that have freezers full of HeLa Csells. It chronicles the journey from the small town of Clover, Virginia, where Henrietta Lacks used to live, to East Baltimore, where her kids and their kids currently live and fight with the legacy that her cells left. Indeed, it makes for a riveting story that details the collision between race, medicine and ethics, as well as a daughter that has numerous questions pertaining to the mother that she knew little about. Essentially, the story is connected to the dark history pertaining to the use of African Americans in experiments, the start of bioethics, as well as the legal battles pertaining to whether individuals have control over the materials that make them.
On 29th of January 1951, Henrietta Lacks was taken to Hopkins, which was the only key hospital close to their homes that could treat black patients. Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer and specifically the “Epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, Stage I”. Henrietta had developed the cervical cancer known as carcinoma, which develops from epithelial cells covering and protecting the cervix’s surface. At this time, doctors in the institution were participating in a nationwide debate pertaining to the making of cervical cancer and the best technique for treating it. It was generally believed that the noninvasive type of cervical carcinomas were not fatal, in which case they mainly concentrated on treating the invasive type. However, one of the top cervical cancer experts Dr. Richard TeLinde disagreed with the notion and opined that the noninvasive type was simply an early stage of the invasive type. TeLinde had the uncanny history of using patients for research without their knowledge or consent. He had determined that 62% of women who had invasive cancer had initially been diagnosed with the noninvasive types. He contacted George Gey, who was Hopkins’ head of research on tissue culture in an effort to compare living samples derived from normal cervical cancer, and living samples from the invasive and noninvasive carcinoma. Gey had been striving to grow the first immortal human cells. In this case, Gey gladly tried to grow living samples from a supply of cervical cancer tissue that TeLinde offered him. It is worth noting that TeLinde had been collecting the tissues from all women that had cervical cancer including Henrietta Lacks. Lacks was, apparently treated successfully dr. Lawrence Wharton, who was a surgeon at Hopkins. Dr Wharton, however, collected samples samples of her healthy and cancerous cervical tissues and gave them to Dr. Gey, who successfully developed a culture of Henrietta’s cancerous cells. As the author notes, “Henrietta’s cells weren’t merely surviving, they were growing with mythological intensity” (Scloot 13). Unfortunately, Lacks died the same year at the age of 31. Following her death, doctors started planning an immense operation that would generate trillions of HeLa cells every week.
It is worth noting that HeLa cells have been used in the treatment of numerous ailments. Indeed, HeLa Cells have been crucial in the development of polio vaccine, uncovering of the varied hidden aspects of cancer, viruses, as well as the effects of atom bombs. In addition, it led in crucial advances in fields such as gene mapping, cloning, and in-vitro fertilization, as well as the treatment of influenza, herpes, leukemia, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease and hemophilia among others. The difference between Lack’s cells and those of others is that her cells had the capacity to live, as well as replicate outside the body. This essentially explains why just about any lab that deals with cell culture would have billions of the HeLa cells. The cells only need to be provided with the nutrients necessary for survival, after which they would apparently live and replicate forever. Testament to this is the fact that they have done this for the last 60 years since the first culture was obtained.
While this may be seen as a scientific breakthrough, the issue has raised numerous ethical issues. This is especially considering that Henrietta Lacks was not informed about the use of her cells in replication or even have her consent sought. Indeed, information pertaining to this was released 2 decades later. Neither her, nor her family had given consent to the use of such cells or even the release of such information to the public. In fact, the family came to know about it when companies started approaching them asking them for samples of their cells (Lodish 34). This essentially introduces a new dimension to the discussion, especially with regard to patient consent.
While the issues raised and the actions of the doctors at that time can only be termed as despicable, it is worth noting that there has been a paradigm shift in the laws governing medical research since the 1950s to the current times. Scholars have noted that, in that era, it was common for doctors and surgeons to obtain cells from their patients and use them in research and experiments without informing and seeking the permission of the patients or even their families (Lodish 45). The incident took place a long time prior to the adoption of ethical guidelines and regulations pertaining to biomedical research that currently requires researchers to get a voluntary, informed consent from their subjects or patients prior to the use of any of their information or cells in carrying out biomedical experiments (Lodish 45).
This, however, does not negate the irony of the fact that Henrietta’s kids were living a life of poverty in Baltimore, whereas their mother’s cells made up the first biological materials ever sold and bought and which played an immense role in assisting the launching of a multi-billion-dollar industry. Indeed, Henrietta’s family has largely been living a life of poverty with a large number of them being unable to afford even health insurance (Miller et al 34). In fact, one of Henrietta’s sons was homeless and lived in Baltimore’s streets.
This book comes with fundamental lessons to both the scientists and even people outside the labs. For scientists, the most fundamental less revolves around the fact that behind every biological sample that they use in the labs is a human being. Indeed, a large part of science is highly dependent on the use of human biological tissue in one way or the other. Unfortunately, scientists often see these cells as just some inanimate tools or instruments that are always in their labs (Miller et al 34). However, the individuals from whom these samples were derived had their own feelings and thoughts pertaining to the things that should happen to their tissues. Unfortunately, their thoughts and feelings are not considered a crucial variable when making such decisions. On the same note, it would be inaccurate to hold the story of the HeLa cells and the things that Henrietta went through as an illustration of a racist white scientist that was doing malicious things to a black woman. Indeed, as much as Hopkins was the key hospital that could treat black people, it is worth noting that other races were also treated in the same hospitals. What happened to her could also have happened to other women of other races, with the only difference being that her cells worked while the others did not (Miller et al 36). In any case, the surgeons and doctors did not violate any laws pertaining to privacy and informed consent as none existed at the time. On the same note, tissue culture is not bad at all especially considering the enormous proportion of medicine today that is dependent on tissue culture. Indeed, the demand for the cells will only rise in the future rather than go down. Rather than taking this as a cue for outlining the things that should not happen, it would be imperative that this comes as a wakeup call to determine the best way that tissue culture can occur in a way that would not leave anyone out.
In conclusion, the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” traces the life of a poor black woman, whose cells were the first ones to be successfully used in tissue culture. Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer in January 1951 and died in October the same year. However, some tissue of her healthy and cancerous cervix were taken without her knowledge or consent and used in experimentation. It is worth noting that at that time, there were no rules pertaining to patient confidentiality and informed consent, in which case the doctors cannot be said to have acted illegally. However, it is ironical that her children have been living in poverty whereas her cells were the foundation of a multi-billion industry. This, nevertheless, should not be used as an illustration of a white racist doctor who took advantage of a black woman. It is imperative that doctors acknowledge that the cells they use were derived from people who have their feelings and thoughts regarding what happens to their tissue.
Works cited
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Crown Publishers, 2010. Print
Lodish, Harvey F. Molecular Cell Biology. New York: Freeman, 2012. Print.
Miller, Tina., Birch, Maxine., Mauthner, Melanie and Jessop, Julie. Ethics in Qualitative Research. New York: SAGE, Sep 13, 2012. Print
