What Is The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Responsible For The Unification Of Dna
In June of 1973, a group of researchers were gathered at the First International Workshop on Human Gene Mapping. They were trying to find solutions for the HeLa contamination problem they were having. However in order to solve the problem they would need sample of DNA from Henrietta’s immediate family members. Victor McKusick, was one of the first scientists to publish Henrietta’s real identity was at that gathering and he offered to help because all of Henrietta’s family members were still patients at Hopkins, making it easy to find them. He was a physician on staff therefore he had access to their contact information and medical records. After the conference, Henrietta’s husband David Lacks received a call Hopkins asking if they could draw
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Also in Henrietta Lacks’ case her cells were used for good and they have benefitted the entire world because of the many cures it has bought. And George Gey had not taken a sample of her tissue to sell her cells or become rich off of them, but simply for science. He only used HeLa cells for research purposes and to find cures and he was just giving them away to researchers in order for them to also do research. As stated in The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, “Gey’s history indicates that he wasn’t particularly interested in science for profit: in the early 1940s he turned down a request to create and run the first commercial cell-culture lab.” All of the science that Gey participated in was never for profit, but the advancement and growth of science. In the end George Gey made a comfortable salary from Hopkins, but he was not wealthy. And although the Lacks family thought that Hopkins and many other researchers were getting rich off of Henrietta’s cells while they were poor and could not afford health care, that was not the case. In fact Hopkins did not receive any money from Henrietta’s cells. Various spokespeople for John Hopkins, including at least one past university president, have issued statements to Rebecca Skloot and other journalists over the years stating that Hopkins never …show more content…
Hopkins, its doctors, and researchers never thought about whether or not her cells were taken with consent or contacting her family. “ Years later, when I asked McKusick if anyone had tried to get informed consent from the Lacks family, he said, “I suspect there was no effort to explain anything in great detail.” But someone should have explained everything to them and made them aware of what was going on. Even after Henrietta’s cells were taken without consent the Lacks family deserved to know was happening with Henrietta’s cells. Susan Hsu who worked with McKusick later stated that she felt very bad because at the time no one thought that the Lacks family would not understand. Even if no one realized that the family would not understand, they should have been asked for consent in the first place. There were many opportunities for them to ask even if they failed to ask before they took Henrietta’s cells. The family could have been asked for consent to do research on the cells or even consent to take their blood in order to stop the contamination of HeLa cells. There were many benefits that came from HeLa cells but no decisions should have been made without the consent of her or her
Also in Henrietta Lacks’ case her cells were used for good and they have benefitted the entire world because of the many cures it has bought. And George Gey had not taken a sample of her tissue to sell her cells or become rich off of them, but simply for science. He only used HeLa cells for research purposes and to find cures and he was just giving them away to researchers in order for them to also do research. As stated in The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, “Gey’s history indicates that he wasn’t particularly interested in science for profit: in the early 1940s he turned down a request to create and run the first commercial cell-culture lab.” All of the science that Gey participated in was never for profit, but the advancement and growth of science. In the end George Gey made a comfortable salary from Hopkins, but he was not wealthy. And although the Lacks family thought that Hopkins and many other researchers were getting rich off of Henrietta’s cells while they were poor and could not afford health care, that was not the case. In fact Hopkins did not receive any money from Henrietta’s cells. Various spokespeople for John Hopkins, including at least one past university president, have issued statements to Rebecca Skloot and other journalists over the years stating that Hopkins never …show more content…
Hopkins, its doctors, and researchers never thought about whether or not her cells were taken with consent or contacting her family. “ Years later, when I asked McKusick if anyone had tried to get informed consent from the Lacks family, he said, “I suspect there was no effort to explain anything in great detail.” But someone should have explained everything to them and made them aware of what was going on. Even after Henrietta’s cells were taken without consent the Lacks family deserved to know was happening with Henrietta’s cells. Susan Hsu who worked with McKusick later stated that she felt very bad because at the time no one thought that the Lacks family would not understand. Even if no one realized that the family would not understand, they should have been asked for consent in the first place. There were many opportunities for them to ask even if they failed to ask before they took Henrietta’s cells. The family could have been asked for consent to do research on the cells or even consent to take their blood in order to stop the contamination of HeLa cells. There were many benefits that came from HeLa cells but no decisions should have been made without the consent of her or her