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Henrietta Lacks Effect On Society

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On January 29, 1951, an African American woman named Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with Stage 1, Epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, after her visit to John Hopkins Hospital. Henrietta began radium treatments which was proven to kill cancer cells and a safer option than surgery, according to her physician Howard Jones. Jones increased Henrietta’s dose of radiation in hopes to decrease the size of the tumors however the treatments were proven ineffective and her skin was burned blacker while the pain grew unbearable until she passed away on October 4, 1951. She left behind her husband David “Day” and five children: Lawrence, Elsie, David Jr, Deborah, and Zakariyya (Joe). This paper will focus on how Henrietta Lack’s and her family’s experience …show more content…

Henrietta lived in Baltimore County, Maryland so her husband Day could work at the Sparrows Point the largest steel plant in the world. The Lack’s family lived a tough life with five children and making usually less than eighty cents a day which is small compared to the white workers. According to David Williams and Michelle Sternthal, discrimination against African Americans increases the amount of stress of these individuals therefore negatively affects their health. To cope with an increase in stress individuals will seek relaxation through tobacco use, alcohol consumption and illegal drugs. Segregation impacts the health of African Americans more than any other racial group in the United States. For example, the highest socioeconomic (SES) blacks which had an income that was greater than 50,000 dollars were more segregated than the poorest Latinos and Asians with an income of less than 15,000 dollars. Eating healthy and exercising regularly is difficult for individuals in segregated areas because they lack recreational facilities and exercising outside is dangerous due to safety reasons. Healthy food is expensive compared to junk food or fast food which is relatively cheap so those on a low-income budget will choose the cheapest food available which can cause obesity and …show more content…

Women’s worse health is because they have lower socioeconomic and subordinate status which causes greater stress. Stress can weaken the immune system, cause higher rates of depression and mood disorders. Gender equality has progressed over the years however women still experience discrimination which negatively impacts both their mental and physical health. Researchers found that physicians are not taking female patients pain as serious as men’s because they believe it’s a psychological problem due to anxiety or emotional stress. Women are not as likely to receive the appropriate treatment or diagnostic testing as males and physicians were disregarding serious health problems in female

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The Case of Henrietta Lacks In January of 1951, a 30 year old African American, married mother of five visited Johns Hopkins Hospital for vaginal bleeding, her name was Henrietta Lacks. At the time, Johns Hopkins was the only hospital in the area that would treat African American patients. During a pelvic examination, Dr. Howard W. Jones performed a biopsy of a mass located on Mrs. Lacks' cervix. Laboratory test results came back positive for terminal cervical cancer and Mrs. Lacks began treatment.

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Douglas Mawson, Henrietta Lacks, and Phineas Gage: what do all of these people have in common? They have all suffered from adversity throughout their life, but unlike us these three had to face the adversity of excruciating pain and even death. In the article “Into the Unknown” Douglas Mawson had to travel across the arctic wasteland known as antarctica, but Mawson did not know it would be this difficult. Then In the article “Immortal cells, Enduring issues” Henrietta Lacks got sick and eventually died, but not before doctors found out Lacks 's immortal cells would help scientists make cures for many forms of diseases. Finally in the video “The Man with the Hole in His Brain” Phineas Gage had a iron rod blasted through his head and survived.

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Summary The book “Mama Might Be Better off Dead” awakens a sickening reality of how the healthcare system in America fails to adequate support many impoverished and poor minority families of color. This book tells a story of an African American family called the Bane’s, who everyday life consist of pain and sorrow due to their socio-economic status. The Bane’s family consist of the father Robert Banes, his wife Jackie Banes, their son Demarest, their two daughters Latrice and Brianna, and Jackie’s grandmother Ms. Jackson. The Bane’s family reside on the Westside of Chicago in the North Lawndale area, the newest and poorest neighborhood in the city.

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When Lacks went to the segregated section of John Hopkins Hospital for cancer treatment, doctors sliced away samples of both her malignant and healthy cervical tissue. Doctors at the hospital took Henrietta’s samples without her permission and used them on their quest to discover an immortal cell line, one that continuously reproduces and can be used for the steady cell supply for medical research. The first immortal cell line was unethically discovered in Henrietta’s cells. Henrietta Lacks was a beloved mother, wife, and friend. Her individual humanity should have been acknowledged and respected by those whom she had put her life in the hands of.

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I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot for the first time in high school for a summer reading assignment I was rushing to complete the last week of summer break. Four years later, I chose to read this book again because I now have an interest in biochemistry, in particular a goal to study antiviral agents in the hopes of a Hepatitis B cure. This time around, I understood the significance this book had because it revealed details of the racist treatment of African Americas that are intertwined with the hidden truths and hypocritical acts of the medical system that unfortunately still exist. On October 4, 1951 Henrietta Lacks died from cervical cancer at the young age of 31.

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Henrietta Lacks was a black tobacco farmer from the south who, in 1950, at the age of 30, she was diagnosed with aggressive cervical cancer. Lacks went to John’s Hopkins medical center for treatment for her cancer. In April of 1951, she underwent surgery to remove the larger tumor on her cervix. Henrietta Lacks, died three days following the surgery. Even though Henrietta Lacks died, her cells from the tumor have lived on and have made a major impact on the biomedical community.

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After reading this book “Mama Might Be Better off Dead” my perception of life has changed. I guess this story open my eyes of to what could happen to a family if they do not have adequate healthcare in America. My eyes became open to the point that many American families are suffering and are crying for help and if not addressed the cry will become louder, due to the expected increase in the ageing population in America in the next twenty years. Coming from a similar background as the Bane’s family, where I’m also African American born and raised on the Westside of Chicago, and also grow up in a life of poverty, I guess this book had a direct affect on me. I seriously began to think critically about the future of my family’s health, particularly my mother.

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Rebecca Skloot’s purpose in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is to present Henrietta and her family’s story while presenting issues regarding science, ethics, race, and class in Henrietta’s story. Skloot also had a major goal of teaching people about Henrietta’s case so that it could be learned from in the future. This purpose can be broken down into three sub-purposes: showing the world the woman behind the science, discussing the roles of race and class, and critiquing science and ethical issues. By informing the reader about Henrietta Lacks’ cells that have changed the medical world and about the controversy surrounding them, Skloot is successful in presenting her purpose. All of these smaller purposes come together to create a novel that makes the reader think, feel, and want more of the Lacks’ riveting story.

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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the story of Henrietta, an African-American woman whose cells were used to create the first immortal human cell line. Told through the eyes of her daughter, Deborah Lacks, aided by journalist Rebecca Skloot. Deborah wanted to learn about her mother, and to understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever. It is a story of medical arrogance and triumph, race, poverty and deep friendship between the unlikeliest people. There had been many books published about Henrietta’s cells, but nothing about Henrietta’s personality, experiences, feeling, life style etc.

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To extend this, there were even fewer hospitals for the poor in which case Henrietta was. John Hopkins hospital was the only one in the area that treated black patients and had a free ward. Skloot (2011) wrote “David drove Henrietta

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Comparatively, R. Levinson’s Sexism in medicine (1976) discusses the major implications that sexism within medical practices can have. One large example of this can be found in the practice of victim blaming. Most notable examples of this fall under the blaming of rape victims for the crime committed but can also be found, in less obvious terms, for any woman. Women seeking help in the medical field often feel ignored or ridiculed for seeking help, feeling as if they are

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To conclude, health inequality is negatively affected by gender stereotypes. Gender stereotypes affect human behavior, and the difference in workplace become barriers to men and women. Women seem to be sicker because they are please to report the health problem, women will take risky behavior under beauty culture, and their work experience is inequality. Men seem to be death quicker due to their less- healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, although medical technology and government funding are improved, the patterns of health have not changed notably.

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Due to these sorts of racial discriminations in the medical and scientific setting, minorities have a higher death rate than the majorities in the United States. It is because of the mistrust of healthcare providers, and the lack of health insurance. Although Henrietta Lacks helped cure different diseases and viruses, without informed consent, her family was suffering. Just like the victims of the Tuskegee study, Henrietta was also a poor patient.

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Some factors often prevent women from having the same health care resources as men. Statistics show that women are more likely than men to develop a variety of diseases and disorders. This includes mental health problems, all of which are very expensive to treat such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Discrimination against women can have a negative effect on their health. Men’s mental disorder and disease rates are lower, and they face less violence and discrimination when compared to women.

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Looking at the average lifespan, which is considered to be the measure of health in the 21st century, the 100-year-old era shows that the life expectancy of women and men is different. Likewise, gender differences between men and women cause health differences. According to the research, women lives approximately three years longer than men (Ogden, J (2017)). What differs between men and women in terms of illness and symptoms? The society defines character, attitude, behavioral characteristics, and even the profession based on gender to give expectations of the role.

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