![]() The importance of her cells to modern medicine and science means that she lives on in the minds of scientists and doctors around the world. Though she has been dead and buried for 66 years, Henrietta has lived on because of her cells. Immortality can also be viewed from a metaphysical perspective. They continued to survive and grow, thus earning themselves the “immortal” moniker. ![]() Her cells did not die once they were separated from her body. Henrietta’s cells are so vital to science because they are the first immortal human cells ever grown in a lab. The first is the literal and physical immortality of Henrietta’s cells. Immortality is another central part of Henrietta’s story, and must be considered from two separate angles. As Gary, Henrietta’s nephew, says near the end of the book, “those cells are Henrietta,” no matter what science or medicine may claim. And when they read about the amazing and life-saving discoveries made because of HeLa, they attribute it to their mother’s generosity and propensity for taking care of others. Rather, they see their mother, wife, and friend being subjected to inhuman physical trials. So for example, when Deborah and other Lackses read newspapers articles about HeLa cells being crossed with tobacco plants, sent into space, or injected with AIDS and Ebola, they don’t visualize these acts being done to microscopic cells. To them, Henrietta is HeLa, and HeLa is Henrietta. They are the living and sole remaining pieces of their family member on Earth. To them, the HeLa cells are not a separate entity, or merely a culture of cells on a petri dish. The dehumanization of Henrietta is particularly difficult for her family to understand and cope with. In her own words, she had “never thought of it that way” (Pg. During the autopsy when Kubicek sees Henrietta’s painted toenails, they make her realize for the first time that behind the HeLa cells was a real person, a live woman. Mary Kubicek’s reaction when she performs an autopsy on Henrietta’s body is an illustration of this fact. ![]() Henrietta ceased being a young, Black mother of five, and instead became the source of a cell line that had the potential to change the world. Neither the scientists who first packaged Henrietta’s cells, nor the thousands of scientists and doctors who would later use her cells for groundbreaking research and medical discoveries, thought about their human source. From the moment the Geys discover the incredible ability of Henrietta’s cells, those cells take center stage, and the human whom they originated from is reduced to nothing more than a source. The dehumanization of Henrietta is one of the central themes and storylines of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The Museum provides group tours and classes, public events and programs, and rental space.Ĭontact the Museum at 910.788.5100 for more information.Buy Study Guide The Dehumanization of Henrietta Lacksĭehumanization is s a process that undermines and/or strips someone of his or her humanity and individuality. The Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville, located at 415 South Madison Street, is a free science museum with interactive exhibits, outdoor learning and play areas, and collections featuring the nature of Southeastern NC. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” (2017, 1h 33m) is rated TV-MA and intended for mature audiences only (17+). She is also a Chadbourn native and current medical student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Black North Carolina 2023 Tatyana Frink-Faulk. And these cells were commercialized and have generated millions of dollars in profit over the past 70 years for the medical researchers who patented her tissue.Īfter the film Friday, a discussion of medical ethics and racism will be led by Ms. However, Lacks and her family didn’t know the cell cultures existed until more than 20 years after her death. Although Lacks ultimately passed away later that year, these “HeLa” cells have been and continue to be used in experiments from determining the long-term effects of radiation to developing the COVID-19 vaccine. Her cancer cells were discovered to be unique: where other cells would die, Lacks’ cells doubled daily and indefinitely. In 1951, a young mother of five named Henrietta Lacks was treated for cancer at Johns Hopkins, one of the few hospitals at the time that would treat Blacks. This movie night and following discussion are held in celebration of Black History Month. This HBO-original film depicts the discovery by Henrietta’s daughter (Oprah Winfrey) that her mother’s cancer cells had been used without her permission for medical research and explores the broader implications of this breach of medical ethics. WHITEVILLE – The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville is offering a special, free showing of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” Friday, Feb.
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