Henrietta Lacks’ Immortal Cells: Medical Miracle Unveiled

In “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, Rebecca Skloot delves into the captivating and often untold story of a woman named Henrietta Lacks. Published in 2010, this nonfiction book offers a remarkable journey through scientific discovery, racism, and ethics. Skloot, an accomplished writer and science journalist, dedicated over a decade of her life to unraveling the legacy and impact of Henrietta Lacks, ultimately shedding light on the complex interplay between medical innovation and individual rights.

Chapter 1: The Prologue

Chapter 1, titled “The Prologue,” of the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot introduces the reader to the central figure of the narrative: Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cells. Skloot describes how Henrietta’s cervical cancer, known as HeLa cells, became the foundation of modern medical research, revolutionizing scientific discoveries and saving countless lives. The chapter starts by highlighting the astonishing fact that HeLa cells have been growing and multiplying in laboratories all over the world since Henrietta’s death in 1951.

Skloot then takes the reader back in time to January 29, 1951, when a young African American woman named Henrietta Lacks entered the “colored ward” of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She was suffering from severe pain and abnormal bleeding, but was too scared and distrustful of the medical system to seek help earlier. Skloot narrates the difficult circumstances of Henrietta’s life, growing up poor in Clover, Virginia, and her journey to Maryland.

As Henrietta receives a gynecological examination, Skloot provides vivid details of the procedure, illustrating the lack of understanding and compassion patients often experienced in the segregated hospitals of that era. It is during this examination that a tissue sample is taken from Henrietta’s cervix without her knowledge or consent. Skloot describes how the sample, referred to as “HeLa” by scientists, was sent to Dr. George Gey’s laboratory, where it unexpectedly started growing and multiplying at an extraordinary rate.

The Prologue concludes with Skloot emphasizing the significance of HeLa cells in medical research, explaining their role in polio vaccines, cloning, gene mapping, and countless other scientific breakthroughs. Skloot suggests that while medical advancements have come at the expense of Henrietta’s unknowing contribution, her story and the ethics surrounding it have remained largely untold until now.

Chapter 2: Clover

Chapter 2: Clover in the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot focuses on the childhood and early life of Henrietta Lacks, as well as her relationship with her cousin and caretaker, Clover “Cousin Cliff” Lee.

The chapter begins by describing Henrietta’s childhood in Clover, Virginia. She was born in 1920 to a poor African-American family. Henrietta and her nine siblings grew up working on the tobacco plantation owned by her family. As a child, Henrietta was known for her strong spirit and energy.

Henrietta’s life took a drastic turn when her mother died in 1924, leaving her and her siblings orphaned. They were divided among various relatives, and Henrietta ended up in the care of her widowed grandfather, Tommy Lacks. Unfortunately, Tommy couldn’t adequately provide for his grandchildren, and therefore Henrietta and her younger cousin, Clover, were sent to live with their grandfather’s cousin, David “Day” Lacks.

The chapter then explores the relationship between Henrietta and Clover. They became inseparable, relying on each other for support and laughter. They attended Turner Station Elementary School together, where Henrietta excelled academically and socially. Both girls loved to dance and socialize, often visiting the East Baltimore Street Skating Rink.

As they grew older, Henrietta and Clover faced different challenges. Henrietta experienced a difficult labor with her first child, Lawrence, and was diagnosed with a severe case of syphilis, which had gone untreated for years. Meanwhile, Clover found it hard to get by, often struggling to feed herself and her children.

Despite the hardships, Clover remained devoted to Henrietta, visiting her regularly and providing support during her illness. This chapter sheds light on the strong bond between Henrietta and Clover, as well as the challenges they faced as African-American women in the 1930s and 40s.

Chapter 3: Diagnosis

Chapter 3: Diagnosis of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot focuses on Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1920. Henrietta was a poor tobacco farmer who grew up in a small, segregated town. She married her cousin, David Lacks, and they had five children together.

In January 1951, Henrietta went to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to seek medical help for a painful lump in her cervix. During this time, segregation was prevalent, and black patients were treated in the “colored ward” of the hospital, separate from white patients. Henrietta was examined by Dr. Howard Jones, a white doctor who was a specialist in cervical cancer.

Dr. Jones discovered a large tumor on Henrietta’s cervix, which he suspected to be cancerous. He performed a biopsy, removing a small piece of the tumor for further testing. The biopsy confirmed that Henrietta had cervical cancer. This diagnosis was devastating news for Henrietta and her family, as cancer was regarded as a death sentence at that time.

Henrietta was immediately admitted to the hospital for treatment, and the doctors prepared her for radium treatments. During her hospitalization, samples of Henrietta’s tumor were sent to Dr. George Gey, a renowned scientist at Hopkins who had been collecting cells for years, trying to grow them in culture. Henrietta’s cells were given the code name “HeLa,” derived from the first two letters of her first and last names.

After Henrietta’s death in October 1951, the cells extracted from her tumor continued to multiply at an unprecedented rate. These cells became the first immortal human cells, revolutionizing medical research and leading to countless advancements in various fields, including the development of vaccines, cancer treatments, and the studying of gene mapping. The HeLa cells became one of the most significant scientific discoveries in history, but the story behind their origin and the impact on Henrietta and her family remained largely unknown for decades.

Chapter 4: The Birth of HeLa

Chapter 4: The Birth of HeLa delves deeper into the story behind the creation of the immortal cell line called HeLa. It begins with the description of Henrietta Lacks’ medical diagnosis and treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951. Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which was in an advanced stage when discovered.

Dr. George Gey, the head of tissue culture research at Hopkins, was determined to find a way to preserve human cells in the lab for research purposes. When Henrietta’s tumor was removed during surgery, her cancer cells were given to Dr. Gey’s lab for testing. Unlike other cells, Henrietta’s cells multiplied at an astonishing rate, indicating their immortality.

Rebecca Skloot highlights the irony of Henrietta’s cells being taken without her knowledge or consent, as well as the lack of proper ethical guidelines in medical research at the time. The chapter explores the complex history of medical experimentation on African Americans, which had left many skeptical and fearful of medical procedures.

Dr. Gey and his team desperately tried to keep Henrietta’s cells alive and growing, as they had never encountered cells that behaved this way. They named the cell line “HeLa” after the first two letters of Henrietta’s first and last names. HeLa cells soon became an essential tool in medical research due to their ability to reproduce quickly and tolerate a variety of laboratory conditions.

Skloot introduces the notion that HeLa cells became a commodity, sold and shared throughout the scientific community, without any acknowledgement or compensation to Henrietta or her family. This sets the stage for the ongoing ethical debate surrounding the use and ownership of human tissue in scientific research.

Overall, Chapter 4 sheds light on the process of isolating and cultivating Henrietta Lacks’ cells, which would subsequently revolutionize medical research while raising important ethical questions about consent and compensation.

Chapter 5: “Black Death”

Chapter 5 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, entitled “Black Death,” delves into the history and impact of syphilis on the African American community and highlights its connection to the story of the Lacks family.

Skloot begins by describing how the Tuskegee Institute conducted the infamous Tuskegee Study, which involved withholding syphilis treatment from African American men in order to observe the effects of the disease. She explains the historical mistreatment of Black people in medical research, which nurtured distrust within the community.

The chapter then turns to the Lacks family’s experience with syphilis. Skloot reveals that Henrietta Lack’s husband, Day Lacks, contracted the disease before their marriage. Upon learning this, Henrietta sought treatment which ultimately saved her life. However, Day’s health deteriorated, and his refusal to seek treatment led him to suffer painful complications.

Furthermore, Skloot explores the impact of the disease on the Lacks family. Many of Henrietta’s children suffered from physical and mental health issues, with some displaying symptoms similar to neurosyphilis. Additionally, Skloot discovers that one of Henrietta’s daughters, Elsie, was sent to Crownsville Hospital, an institution that housed mentally ill and disabled African Americans.

In summary, Chapter 5 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” sheds light on the historical mistreatment of the African American community in medical research, primarily focusing on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. It also explores the impact of syphilis on the Lacks family, from Day Lacks’ suffering to the potential effects on Henrietta’s children.

Chapter 6: Immortality

Chapter 6 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot delves deeper into the story of Henrietta’s immortal cells, known as HeLa cells, and their impact on medical research. The chapter begins with the author introducing the establishment of the Tuskegee Institute by Booker T. Washington in the early 1900s, a school for Black students in Alabama that played a crucial role in producing Black doctors and nurses.

Skloot then introduces one of Henrietta’s relatives, Cootie, who attended the Tuskegee medical program in the late 1930s. Cootie experienced firsthand the practices of medical research at the time, where African Americans were often used as subjects without their informed consent or proper treatment. This sets the stage for the ethical challenges faced by the medical community surrounding Henrietta’s cells.

The author explains that in the 1950s, researchers grew HeLa cells in mass quantities and shared them with other scientists, leading to numerous advancements in medicine. The chapter highlights some of the key scientific milestones that HeLa cells helped to achieve, such as the creation of a polio vaccine and breakthroughs in cancer research.

Skloot also details the personal toll these discoveries had on Henrietta’s family. They were unaware that her cells were alive and being used for research until the 1970s, more than two decades after her death. This revelation provoked feelings of confusion, betrayal, and anger within the family since they hadn’t provided consent for the use of Henrietta’s cells or the subsequent commercialization of medical advancements.

Ultimately, chapter 6 serves as a bridge between the scientific achievements made using HeLa cells and the ethical concerns raised surrounding those advancements. It provides a historical context for the exploitation of Black bodies in medical research and lays the groundwork for further exploration of Henrietta’s legacy and the legal and moral implications of using her cells without her or her family’s consent.

Chapter 7: Aftermath

Chapter 7 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot is titled “Aftermath.” In this chapter, Skloot explores the consequences and impact of the publication of her initial articles about Henrietta Lacks and the HeLa cells.

After the publication, Skloot receives numerous responses from scientists, journalists, and people who knew Henrietta or her family personally. Many scientists express their admiration for Skloot’s work and commend her for shedding light on the ethics of cell culture. Others criticize her for focusing too much on the Lacks family, claiming that it detracts from the scientific importance of HeLa cells.

The publication also leads to a significant development for the Lacks family. Deborah, Henrietta’s daughter, expresses her gratitude to Skloot for sharing her mother’s story and ignites her desire to learn more about her mother’s life and her own family history. Skloot takes Deborah to various locations, including the Crownsville State Hospital where Elsie, Deborah’s older mentally ill sister, had been institutionalized and ultimately died.

As Skloot delves deeper into the Lacks family’s history, they face challenges from both within and outside the family. Internal conflicts arise as family members dispute incidents and memories, adding layers of complexity to their story. Meanwhile, the family is also confronted by outsiders seeking to exploit their vulnerability and profit from the story.

The chapter ends with a significant breakthrough in Skloot’s research. She discovers that a short news clip about Henrietta aired on German television in 1971, which reveals that the Lacks family unknowingly participated in a German scientific experiment. This revelation highlights the global reach and impact of the HeLa cells.

In summary, Chapter 7 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” depicts the aftermath of the publication, the mixed responses from the scientific community, the family’s increasing curiosity about their own history, the challenges they face, and a significant revelation about their involvement in a global scientific experiment.

Chapter 8: The HeLa Factory

Chapter 8 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, titled “The HeLa Factory,” explores the establishment of the first large-scale laboratory working with Henrietta Lacks’ cells, known as HeLa cells, and the subsequent commercialization of her cells.

After Henrietta’s cells were taken without her knowledge or consent, they were sent to Dr. Howard Jones at Johns Hopkins, who discovered their unique characteristic of being able to grow endlessly in culture. This discovery laid the foundation for the HeLa cell line, which became a crucial tool for medical research and the development of various vaccines and treatments.

Dr. George Gey, a researcher at Hopkins, had been trying to propagate human cells in culture for years but had been unsuccessful. However, with the arrival of Henrietta’s cells, he finally succeeded. Driven by the immense potential of HeLa cells, a dedicated team of scientists, researchers, and technicians worked diligently to produce and distribute millions of HeLa cell cultures to researchers around the world. This enabled numerous groundbreaking discoveries in medicine and biology.

However, as word spread about HeLa cells’ extraordinary properties, the demand for them grew exponentially. At the same time, the Lacks family remained unaware of their mother’s cells being used in research. Scientists and companies began commercializing HeLa cells, selling vials of them for profit while Henrietta’s family struggled with poverty and ongoing medical issues.

The author introduces the story of a woman named Courtney Speed, who worked at a cell culture factory in Maryland during the 1970s, which produced HeLa cells in massive quantities. Speed’s job involved assembling and delivering these HeLa cells to various researchers and companies. This behind-the-scenes look demonstrates the industrial scale and significance of the HeLa cell industry.

In summary, Chapter 8 of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” sheds light on the establishment of the HeLa cell line and the subsequent commercialization of these cells, which have had a profound impact on medical research and the pharmaceutical industry. Meanwhile, the Lacks family remained largely unaware of the extraordinary legacy of their mother’s cells and struggled with the consequences of her unknowing contribution to science.

After Reading

In conclusion, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot is a thought-provoking and deeply moving exploration of Henrietta Lacks’ lasting impact on scientific research and the ethical questions surrounding her cells’ use without her knowledge or consent. Skloot skillfully weaves together the compelling story of Henrietta and her family’s journey to understand and reclaim her legacy. This book sheds light on the pervasive issues of race, medical ethics, and the broader implications of scientific advancement. Skloot’s meticulous research and intimate storytelling underline the enduring power of one woman’s cells and the profound questions they raise about the value of human life in scientific progress. Ultimately, this book serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of the Lacks family and a reminder of the ongoing ethical considerations in medical research.

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