Who was Henrietta Lacks?

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot, is a story about a woman and her family, but it's also a story about medical research, a person's rights to their own bodies (especially their cells and tissues) and the history of insufficient medical care for African Americans in this country. I first heard about this book on NPR (a source for many of my reading recommendations) and I wanted to know more about Henrietta Lacks's story. 

When Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with cervial cancer in the 1950's, her doctor took her cells without her permission and used them for his research. The cell cultures, known as HeLa, were eventually distributed all over the world and were instrumental in developing the p0lio vaccine, and led to discoveries in cancer research, in vitro fertilization and dcloning. These cells also made millions of dollars for their distributors. 

I was amazed to learn that the concept of "informed consent," whereby a doctor must obtain a patient's permission before performing a procedure or taking anything from a patient's body, did not come about until 1966. The laws covering rights to stored tissues and items from medical procedures (such as a removed mole)  are still ambiguous and working their way through the legal system.

Although I have an interest in health care and medical issues, I don't have much of a background in science, so some of the detailed descriptions of scientific procedures went over my head. However, I kept going because I was drawn into the story of the Lacks family. They had no idea that the cells were taken from their mother, and they had a complete lack of understanding, not only of their mother's illness and treatment, but also why anyone would want these cells and what they would do with them.

The book also has local connections because Henrietta Lacks was treated at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the only hospital in the area that would treat African Americans ( although they were in a separate "colored" ward.) The book also mentions Crownsville State Hospital, formerly known as the Hospital for the Negro Insane.

This is not a light read, but it is a fascinating journey into the lives of a dysfunctional but loving family and their conflicted pride in the contributions their mother made to the health of future generations.