Book Reviews
“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed.” Francis Bacon (d. 1626)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
New York: Crown Publishers, 2010, $26.
Reviewed by Monty M. Self
Little Rock, AR.
Most people do not know her name. She contributed more to the study of cellular biology and genetics than any other individual in the 20th century. She helped develop medications for polio, cervical cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease. She was key in developing in vitro fertilization, cloning, and the study of the human genome A few know her by the false name Helen Lane, but almost all cellular biologist and geneticist know about her contributions. Rebecca Skloot attempts to change this in her new book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The biography is the story of how a 30 year-old African American woman made an amazing contribution to science when her cancer cells were harvested and later became the first immortal human cells line, commonly known as HeLa. Skloot does more than recount the story of Henrietta’s cancer and HeLa’s contribution to science. Skloot attempts to give a voice to Henrietta by telling the story of her life, the lives of her family, and document how the HeLa cells have changed the world.
In 1950, Henrietta noticed that she had a mass inside her abdomen. Growing up as a poor tobacco farmer, she waited as long as she could and then sought help at John Hopkins University hospitals. There she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. During the treatment a sample of her tissue was removed so that George Gey could attempt to culture her cells. Unfortunately, the cancer was extremely aggressive and eventually metastasized all over her body. After a painful battle, Henrietta died of cancer in 1951, but the sample of her cells inherited the vigor and aggression of the cancer from where they were taken.
These cells were different. These cells reproduced in great number, doubling almost every 24 hours. In Henrietta’s cancer cells, Gey had not only made history, but had found an unlimited supply of human cells which could be used for research. Because they were so productive and strong, they quickly were shipped to other labs throughout the United States and later the world. Scientists were now able to study human cells over time. Henrietta’s cells have become essential for the modern researcher. Companies have come into being in order to supply labs with the cells and medium for culturing them. Countless new drugs and therapies have been developed from the study of these cells. Few areas of biological study have not been impacted by the study of HeLa. It is impossible to calculate the profits or potential profits which have been derived from the HeLa line.
Like many great stories of scientific advancement, Henrietta and HeLa are not without controversy. Many would have thought that HeLa’s success and contributions would make the Lacks family proud. Unfortunately, they did not know about HeLa until 20 years after Henrietta’s death. They were never told. Henrietta’s cells were originally removed and later cultured at John Hopkins, but no informed consent was ever given. Henrietta’s children had no idea that the HeLa cells were being grown all over the world. While the failure to share the success of the HeLa line is tragic, it is criminal that countless numbers of scientists have made individual fortunes while Henrietta’s decedents live in poverty. Ironically, some of her children cannot afford the medication which HeLa helped to develop.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is an exciting story, written in such a way that the reader cannot put the book down. It is compelling for more than just the story. Skloot forces the reader to come face to face with the sociological and ethical implications of the Lack’s story. In addition to the social dynamics of racism and poverty, Henrietta’s story brings to mind ethical questions of consent and autonomy. It forces the reader to ask, “Who owns discarded human tissue.” While Henrietta’s tissues were taken for the purpose of discovering if they could be cultured, it still begs the question. Who owns them? What morally can be done with them and who gets compensated if there is a profit?
