The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, By Rebecca Skloot

In the first half of our learning seminar class, we focused on the desire for knowledge. We have mainly focused on the desire to improve our understanding of the universe and what is inside our universe. The Emperor of All Maladies is a book about cancer and how humans have been researching it for hundreds of years. From century to century, humans still hold onto their sense of wonder about cancer and how it truly works. Sometimes our sense of wonder is not always the best thing. To be human means we have reason. Reasons should be considered when conducting research to feed your wonder. In, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, scientist George Gey, extracted Henrietta’s cells without her consent, and created the world’s first HeLa cell. George

Henrietta was admitted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital to treat her cervical cancer, where she eventually passed away. George Gey, who was the cell biologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, then harvested the cells from her tumor. With the help of his wife, Margret, and assistant, Mary, they successfully turned Henrietta’s contribution into HeLa cells. HeLa cells are an essential universal tool that can be used for medical research and advancement. Since the HeLa cells grew at a rapid rate, they were produced and sold rapidly for widespread research. This would go on for about another 20 years anonymously. The cells were given a pseudonym name to throw the press off of the real donor. Then in the 1970’s a relative of Henrietta heard about the cells and was shocked that she was still “alive”. George Gey let his urge for scientific research take over when he extracted her cells without Henrietta or the family’s knowledge. Although it was an unethical thing to do, it brought lots of light to the world. HeLa cells were used to help create the polio vaccine. Before that vaccine, Polio could paralyze hundreds of thousands of children per

For example, there is a 1000 level, and a student must take a class in the 1100-1600 sections. Saint Vincent College allows our sense of wonder to take part in our education by listing numerous courses in each section. I am taking a 1500 core class right now. I had the option to choose from a class about animation before Disney or the history of American theatre. When I pick my core classes, I read the descriptions of each course and think about which topics I have a larger desire to learn for. Another reason for my sense of wonder, and the majority of humans, is success. Humans are desperate to learn skills and seek education because of the fear of failure. I figure if I master the knowledge and techniques of supply chain management, I will be an appropriate fit for any company. This course is focused on knowledge. In the first week of class, we talked about the scientific method as a way to explore our sense of wonder. This class is meant to show students why learning is valuable, not only for yourself, but for society. That is why we read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Emperor of All Maladies. Both books focus on research for the greater good of