Clearly, HeLa cells are the most widely studied cultured cells and have been critical to many advances in the scientific understanding of cell function and to the development of a variety of medical treatments. There, Henrietta endured hours upon hours of excruciating radium exposure – the first of many treatments she’d receive over the course of the year.Įven though these treatments were intensive, to the extent that much of her body was visibly burned, they were ultimately ineffective.Īlthough Henrietta Lacks succumbed to her illness, her cells – named “HeLa” – survived and thrived.All subjects Allied Health Cardiology & Cardiovascular Medicine Dentistry Emergency Medicine & Critical Care Endocrinology & Metabolism Environmental Science General Medicine Geriatrics Infectious Diseases Medico-legal Neurology Nursing Nutrition Obstetrics & Gynecology Oncology Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Otolaryngology Palliative Medicine & Chronic Care Pediatrics Pharmacology & Toxicology Psychiatry & Psychology Public Health Pulmonary & Respiratory Medicine Radiology Research Methods & Evaluation Rheumatology Surgery Tropical Medicine Veterinary Medicine Cell Biology Clinical Biochemistry Environmental Science Life Sciences Neuroscience Pharmacology & Toxicology Biomedical Engineering Engineering & Computing Environmental Engineering Materials Science Anthropology & Archaeology Communication & Media Studies Criminology & Criminal Justice Cultural Studies Economics & Development Education Environmental Studies Ethnic Studies Family Studies Gender Studies Geography Gerontology & Aging Group Studies History Information Science Interpersonal Violence Language & Linguistics Law Management & Organization Studies Marketing & Hospitality Music Peace Studies & Conflict Resolution Philosophy Politics & International Relations Psychoanalysis Psychology & Counseling Public Administration Regional Studies Religion Research Methods & Evaluation Science & Society Studies Social Work & Social Policy Sociology Special Education Urban Studies & Planning BROWSE JOURNALSĪs of the year 2011, using the search term “HeLa cells” in PubMed yields more than 60 000 articles. Giving her official consent for any treatments or surgery the doctors deemed necessary, Henrietta was once again led to the Johns Hopkins ward for colored women. Indeed, radium is so powerful that, in high doses, it can even burn the patient’s skin. But while radium is extremely effective at killing cancer cells, this comes at a cost: it also destroys any other cells it comes into contact with. Then her biopsy results arrived: Henrietta had epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, stage I.Īt the time, Johns Hopkins were using radium – a radioactive material – to treat cervical cancer. There, she quickly returned to her usual daily routine: looking after her children, cooking for her family and keeping the house in order.įor a while at least, life continued as normal. She’d discovered a lump on her cervix.Īfter doctors took a sample and rushed it to the pathology lab for diagnosis, they sent Henrietta home. So Henrietta and Day decided to move to Sparrows Point, near Baltimore.Ī decade later, in early 1951, Henrietta walked into the designated coloreds-only examination room of Johns Hopkins gynecology center. But these were difficult times for small farmers, and the family were struggling financially. Henrietta married Day when she was 20 and the couple soon began having children. When she wasn’t working, young Henrietta played with her cousin, David Lacks – nicknamed Day. Like most of her family, young Henrietta helped out on their tobacco farm, harvesting the crop and hauling the leaves to South Boston to be sold. On August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia, a small girl who would change medical science forever was born.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |