Henrietta Lacks

[Gregory Matthews]

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks obtained medical care at Johns Hopkins Hospital for cervical cancer.  Acting wilthout her permission the physicians cultured cells that they had removed from her cervix.  They grew well, so at that point, the physicians continued to culture them and to offer them for sale to other research labs around the world.  In time, that cell  line became the standard for medical research related to human cells.

Henrietta Lacks died eight (8) Months into her treatment.

In 1973 the her children learned of the research use that had been made of their mother's cervical cells.

in  2010, after 10 years of research, this story was told  in a book written by Rebecca Skloot and titled:  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

This month, an HBO film of the same name, and staring Oprah, was released.

Her cell line, names "HeLa" has been used around the world to study everything from influenza to in vitro fertilization.   Their contribution to medical progress includes:

1955:    The polio vaccine, Jonas Salk

1953:    Determination that human chromosomes number 46, not 48.

1960:    Placed in orbit by Russia to study the effect of space.

            NASA, responds with the same to compete with Russia.

1965:    Setting the stage to map the human genome.

1984:    Discovers the viral cause of cervical cancer and sets the stage for a vaccine.

2014:  Establishes technology that may one day allow doctors to destroy cancer cells internally.

NOTE:  In reporting this, I am indebted to:

Zoe Donaldson, "For the Love of Henrietta,"  O: The Oprah Magazine, May, 2017, pages 28 -31.