Essay On The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a 381 page nonfiction novel written by Rebecca Skloot. Author Rebecca Skloot is more than qualified for writing this novel on the life of Henrietta Lacks. Skloot “has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction.” This renders her a qualified author because she has a background in biology, which is the main field of science analyzed in the novel. Rebecca Skloot also encountered and grew attached to some of the real people discussed in her book, specifically David Lacks. This enables her to gather first hand information and connect with the character discussed in her book.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a book about cervical cancer patient Henrietta Lacks, who produces an immortal cell line known as the HeLa cells. Henrietta’s cells still live on today and are bought and sold by millions of people and examined by scientists. The main character of the novel is Henrietta Lacks. Henrietta Lacks is a woman who was not in the scientific field but she is one of the first women to advance in the sciences. While she may not have been a scientist, her contributions to the scientific community are well renowned and the most interesting part is all these contributions …show more content…
A few months before Henrietta’s death, a doctor cut out a sample of Henrietta’s cancer cells. These cells were the first human cells to ever survive and multiply in a laboratory. Henrietta’s cells, or the “HeLa” cells have helped guide scientists to make some very important medical discoveries and advancements. The problem is, Henrietta’s cells were taken without her knowledge and consent. Henrietta Lacks sought out medical advice and help at John Hopkins in 1951. Once she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, she was treated with “radium and x-ray therapy.” During this process, some of Henrietta's tissue was removed from her tumor and was sent to Dr. George Gey so it could be grown in test
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