I was intrigued by this book. I read the entire first section in one sitting. It made me think what my reaction would be if I was part of Henrietta's family. It would be weird to know that your mother died but her cells are still living. It would feel like there was never closure to her life. But, it would also be amazing to think that her cells have helped so many people and have been part of so many discoveries. I also feel for the family. It said in the book that millions have been made from her cells, but the family can't afford to see a doctor. How is that right or ethical? I wonder could this still happen today. If someone were in the hospital and they took their cells and found that they were immortal. Would the patient be asked if their cells could be used or would the hospital (or wherever) use them without asking?
This book is extremely interesting to me, and I think that the author's approach on the story (the history of Henrietta, not just her cells' legacy), is what is so intriguing. I couldn't imagine being her daughter and knowing that my mother changed the face of science as we know it, and no one even knowing her name. It almost seems degrading to her life and her story. I also think it's extremely interesting to think that Henrietta had no idea that cells were even taken from her body and used to heal so many lives. That is certainly not ethical, but it makes me wonder if that still happens in our modern society?
The thing that has taken me back the most with this book is the culture of the time period. We all studied the mid-1900s in school and I know the history basics, but I have already caught myself a few times saying, "Wow..how could that have happened?" One thing that caught my attention was the family dynamics: cousins having children, children having children, etc. Living in close proximity to most of the extended family, I can fathom why these things happened; it still crazy to think that even 40 years later (in the 1990s), incest was highly frowned upon. This just proves how times change.
Along the same lines, the segregation between black and white and the lack of rights for the blacks is prevalent in the first removal of Henrietta's cells. Skloot even writes, "...though no one had told Henrietta that TeLinde was collecting samples or asked if she wanted to be a donor-- Wharton picked up a sharp knife and shaved two dime-sized pieces of tissue...". Just because she was black, there was no consideration of her preferences and instead, she was just treated like an object as opposed to a human being.
This book has me in a moral bind. I do feel horrible for Henrietta's family and what they had to endure. However, when I think of the lives that have been saved because of Henrietta, she has been left as a hero to many. It would have been simple for the doctors to ask Henrietta for permission to use the cells. Why did they avoid this simple and necessary task?
I have been asking myself the same question as Chelsea. Does this still happen today? What if my own cells have been used for something like this when I had tests at the hospital? I think that it is absolutely necessary that physicians ask for consent before using any human body or cells for research.
I was intrigued by this book. I read the entire first section in one sitting. It made me think what my reaction would be if I was part of Henrietta's family. It would be weird to know that your mother died but her cells are still living. It would feel like there was never closure to her life. But, it would also be amazing to think that her cells have helped so many people and have been part of so many discoveries. I also feel for the family. It said in the book that millions have been made from her cells, but the family can't afford to see a doctor. How is that right or ethical? I wonder could this still happen today. If someone were in the hospital and they took their cells and found that they were immortal. Would the patient be asked if their cells could be used or would the hospital (or wherever) use them without asking?
ReplyDeleteThis book is extremely interesting to me, and I think that the author's approach on the story (the history of Henrietta, not just her cells' legacy), is what is so intriguing. I couldn't imagine being her daughter and knowing that my mother changed the face of science as we know it, and no one even knowing her name. It almost seems degrading to her life and her story. I also think it's extremely interesting to think that Henrietta had no idea that cells were even taken from her body and used to heal so many lives. That is certainly not ethical, but it makes me wonder if that still happens in our modern society?
ReplyDeleteThe thing that has taken me back the most with this book is the culture of the time period. We all studied the mid-1900s in school and I know the history basics, but I have already caught myself a few times saying, "Wow..how could that have happened?" One thing that caught my attention was the family dynamics: cousins having children, children having children, etc. Living in close proximity to most of the extended family, I can fathom why these things happened; it still crazy to think that even 40 years later (in the 1990s), incest was highly frowned upon. This just proves how times change.
ReplyDeleteAlong the same lines, the segregation between black and white and the lack of rights for the blacks is prevalent in the first removal of Henrietta's cells. Skloot even writes, "...though no one had told Henrietta that TeLinde was collecting samples or asked if she wanted to be a donor-- Wharton picked up a sharp knife and shaved two dime-sized pieces of tissue...". Just because she was black, there was no consideration of her preferences and instead, she was just treated like an object as opposed to a human being.
This book has me in a moral bind. I do feel horrible for Henrietta's family and what they had to endure. However, when I think of the lives that have been saved because of Henrietta, she has been left as a hero to many. It would have been simple for the doctors to ask Henrietta for permission to use the cells. Why did they avoid this simple and necessary task?
ReplyDeleteI have been asking myself the same question as Chelsea. Does this still happen today? What if my own cells have been used for something like this when I had tests at the hospital? I think that it is absolutely necessary that physicians ask for consent before using any human body or cells for research.