Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Essay

Response to Prompt 1In the novel Immortal vivification of Henrietta Lacks, Henrietta had cells removed from a tumor on her cervix without her knowledge or consent. Henriettas family also had no idea that the cells were macrocosm removed or the advances they would soon induct in medical research. What the doctors and researchers did not confirm is that in taking the cells from Henrietta, they were degrading the family and violating her dignity.By definition, dignity is nobility or spinning top of character worthiness. (Dignity) When George rusty took the cells from Henrietta, he was not considering her dignity or her worthiness. He was considering the benefits for himself and for medical research.At the final stage of chapter eight, we learn that Grey had n incessantly visited Henrietta turn she was sick. Grey would receive the cells from an assistant and hold doing his research, almost as if the cells did not deduct from a living, breathing human being. there is no record that George Grey ever visited Henrietta in the hospital, or state anything to her near her cells. And everyone I talked to who might know said that Grey and Henrietta never met. Everyone, that is, except Laure Aurelian, a microbiologist who was Greys colleague at Hopkins. (page 66) By Grey never tour Henrietta, he violated her dignity. As a patient, white or black, she deserved to find out the man that was taking her DNA and send it to other laboratories for more research. Today, that would be illegal. entirely back in 1950, it was acceptable.Additionally, the doctors and researchers at legerdemain Hopkins violated Henriettas dignity by keeping critical entropy from her and the family about her cancer and the removal of her cells. If Henrietta had been given the undecomposed to know her diagnosis and treatment options, she could begin made a more sensible decision, thereby maintaining her dignity. Theres no indication that Henrietta questioned him like most patients in th e 1950s, she deferred to anything doctors said. This was a time when benevolent fraud was a common practice doctors oft withheld even the mostfundamental information from their patients, sometimes not giving them a diagnosis at all. (page 63)Black flock were given less opportunities to demand their dignity, and Henrietta was no exception. And when it came to white doctors treatment of black patients, the same rules applied. This was 1951 in Baltimore, separationism was law, and it was understood that black people didnt question white peoples professional judgement (page 63)