Henrietta Lacks Chpt. 20-25

Deduced

Arrived at a conclusion by reasoning

How did Rogers discover Henrietta's real name?

Rogers discovered Henrietta's real name when Walter Nelson-Ross told him.

Angioplasty

Surgical repair or unblocking of a blood vessel

Serum

A liquid mixture, often medicine

Ubiquitous

Present, appearing, or found everywhere

This chapter tells us that shortly after Gey died it was discovered that Henrietta's cancer had been misdiagnosed. Would a correct diagnosis have change the way Henrietta Lacks was treated?

A correct diagnosis would not have changed the way Henrietta was treated. They would still have used radium.

Prodigy

A person, an especially young one, with exceptional qualities in a specific field.

What were some of Deborah's fears and concerns after she found out that her mother's cells were alive?

After finding out her mother's cells were still alive, Deborah was concerned that she would also die at an early age and her kids would grow up without their mother.

Precendent

An earlier decision that is used as a guide for future court cases.

Geneticist

An expert in genetics.

Contamination

An unwanted pollution of something by a substance.

How did Bobette find out about HeLa?

Bobette found out about HeLa when she visited her friend Gardenia. Gardenia's brother-in-law was in town and told her that he and many others were using Henrietta's cells in their labs.

Why did Deborah begin researching her mother's cells? What effect did her research have on her?

Deborah began researching her mother's cells because she wanted to know about the whole profit from HeLa cells. She also wanted to know more about her mother and what she went through. Her research affected her because she got terrified of what happened to her mother's cells and she thought her mother could still feel the things that her cells were being experimented on.

Abatement

Ending, reduction, or the lessening of something.

Parenthetically

Explain or qualify something

Why did advances in genetic research require establishing laws that doctors or researchers obtain informed consent documentation prior to taking DNA samples from patients for research?

Genetic research required establishing laws before taking DNA because they were required to give informed consent documentation because of the aftermath of the Southam trial.

How did George Gey die?

George Gey died from pancreatic cancer.

Homozygous

Having the same alleles from both mother and father

How did Henrietta's real name become public knowledge?

Henrietta's real name became public knowledge when an article was published about her. The author was Howard Jones.

The Lacks family decides to work with Skloot despite their general mistrust of outsiders who want to inquire about the HeLa story. Why do you think they chose to trust her and work with her? Is there something about her style or approach that worked particularly well with the Lacks family? What do you think it is? Write a paragraph discussing this prompt.

I believe the Lacks family continued to talk to Skloot because of her goal and her first impression. She was nice and didn't turn down Lawrence's request to eat. She also gave them positive answers on Henrietta. I think this is why her approach worked well. She also told the Lacks family information they didn't know about the cells. For example, when she told them how HeLa cells were being used to try and cure blindness. Although most people who asked them wanted information about Henrietta, Skloot wanted to know about their perspective, as well. I think the family wanted people to know what they thought, which is also why I think they gave her information.

Do you think that Johns Hopkins should be penalized or required to reimburse the Lacks family for using Henrietta Lacks tissue samples to develop and distribute HeLa?

I do think that Johns Hopkins should be penalized or required to reimburse the Lacks family for using Henrietta's tissue sample to develop and distribute HeLa. They took HeLa without permission and then sold the cells without benefiting the family.

Do you agree with the laws on the harvesting of cells and tissues?

I don't agree with the laws about harvesting cell tissue. Once a doctor harvests or takes tissue out of your body, those samples still belonged to you. They are originally from you. I don't believe that gives doctors the right to then use samples without your consent. If you leave them with a doctor, that doesn't mean you think of them as waste either.

The article by McKusick and Hsu, published in 1976, provided identifying genetic information about members of the Lacks family. Do you think should have happened? Explain your answer in a paragraph.

I don't think this should have happened. The Lacks' personal information was released to the whole public. This was a violation of their privacy. The Lacks family also didn't give permission for this information to be released. The only people who should have known about this information was the family and the doctors and scientist using the information for research. I believe that before any information is published, the Lacks family should know about.

Do you agree that Henrietta should have been correctly identified in order to "give her the fame she so richly deserves," or do you think her anonymity should have been protected? Explain your answer in a paragraph.

I think Henrietta's name should have been identified correctly. Her cells are being used to help others, the least they can do is give her the recognition. HeLa cells were used in polio vaccines and are now being use to try to find a cure for cancer. I also think she should have been identified correctly sooner so then her family would be more informed and they would have been able to give information on her life that doctors didn't know.

Pivotal

Important part or movement

Spontaneously

Impulsively acting

Morphologic

Information of the form and structure of animals and parts

HeLa cells have been sold for large profits for many years. Who has profited from the HeLa cells?

Invitrogen, BioWhittaker and the ATCC has profited from HeLa cells.

How is John Moore's story similar to Henrietta's? How is it different?

John Moore's story is similar to Henrietta's because their cells and tissue samples were used as research. They also both had cancer and weren't told that their cells were being used in medicine. Their stories are different because Moore somewhat knew that his doctor wanted to take cells because of a legal document asking for permission. Henrietta never knew about her cells. Moore was also able to sue his doctor.

Who established the Johns Hopkins hospital? When? Why?

Johns Hopkins established the Hopkins hospital in 1873. He did this because he wanted a place where everyone could go, even if their race was different. He also wanted to help those who couldn't afford it.

Gangrene

Localize death of decomposition of body tissue, resulting in a bacterial infection

What motivated Michael Rogers to find the Lacks family?

Michael Rogers was motivated by the fact that HeLa contamination would make a great story for the Rolling Stone.

Biomedical

Relating to both biology and medicine

Verbatim

Repeating word for word

Did researchers explain why they wanted DNA samples to the Lacks family?

Researchers did not explain why they wanted DNA samples to the Lacks family.

Why did researchers want DNA samples from Henrietta's family?

Researchers wanted DNA samples from Henrietta's family because the wanted to figure out which cells were HeLa and which ones weren't. They also wanted to create a map of her genes.

What specific qualities in the HeLa cells allowed them to contaminate other cell cultures so easily?

Some qualities in the HeLa cells that allowed them to contaminate other cell cultures so easily was how easily they could travel. These cells could float through air on dust particles and could travel on unwashed hands, used pipettes, and researchers coats and shoes. Not only that, they would also travel through ventilation systems. One cell was so strong that if it landed in a petri dish, it would take over and grow, filling up all the space in one dish.

Explain the connection that Sonny makes between his mother's personality and the ways he believes HeLa cells have been used.

Sonny said that his mother was pretty, nice, and a good cook. He mentioned that she always wanted to help others. That's why he believes that his mother's cells are being used in polio vaccines and cures.

What is the HeLa bomb? Who dropped it? Why was it significant in the development in of cell cultures?

The HeLa bomb is how the immortal cells were contaminated by HeLa. Stanley Gartler dropped it. It was significant in the development of cell cultures because it caused scientists to see that their HeLa infected lines could contaminate other cell lines.

Why did the Lacks family think the doctors were taking their blood?

The Lacks family thought the doctors were taking their blood to test them for cancer.

Why is the Lacks family so angry at the end of this chapter?

The Lacks family was angry because they believed that Hopkins stole black people to research on. They were also mad about her cells being taken without permission.

What do the Lackses believe Johns Hopkins did to black people?

The Lackses believed that Johns Hopkins took black people and used them for experiments for research.

Why did the effort to develop genetic markers for HeLa contamination require contacting the Lacks family?

The effort to develop genetic markers for HeLa contamination required contacting the Lacks family because genetic marker test on the HeLa cells would eventually lead to Lacks since the scientist needed blood sample from family members.

Chapter 25 talks a lot about the legality of taking cells and tissues from patients. Based on this information was the manner in which Henrietta's cells were taken legal?

The manner as in which Henrietta's cells were taken was legal.

Sonny and Lawrence repeat the refrain "That's a miracle," when discussing the scientific advances made possible by their mother's cells. What does this refrain suggest about their worldview and values?

This suggest that their worldview and values can be seen as great. It can also mean that they aren't very informed on scientific advancement. I say this because they must think that Henrietta is amazing but, they don't know what her cells could do and how they are being used.

Stipulated

To demand or specify a requirement

Dehumanizing

To get rid of human qualities