Because Ideas Matter...
The faculty and staff of Butler University's College of Liberal
Arts and Sciences presents
Recommended Readings
The Immortal Life of Henrietta
Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
Reviewed by Paula Saffire
This book is the perfect mating of biography
and science. It is a tale woven of many strands, told by a master
story teller. You come to the death of Henrietta Lacks one third of
the way through and wonder, "How can Skoot keep it so interesting?"
But she does. There are stories of: (1) Henrietta Lacks, a black
woman who died in 1951 with tumors so numerous it looked - to those
who opened her after death - as if she was stuffed with pearls. (2)
Henrietta's cancer cells, known to the world as HeLa, which have
been reproduced so successfully that they would circle the earth
three times, laid end to end and weight three tons. While most
cells die after fifty divisions outside the body, these seem to go
on forever. They have been used to fight polio, leukemia, and
numerous illnesses. (3) Sorely needed advances in medical ethics,
with mention of Nuremberg doctors, the Tuskegee syphilis study, and
the birth of phrase, "informed consent. " (4) Evolving policies on
tissue ownership. (5) What is going on for Henrietta's extended
family - some of whom cannot afford medical insurance although the
medical profession owes so much to Henrietta's cells. Skloot tells
this story with warmth, appreciation, and respect. She uses,
wisely, the language of the people she interviewed, so we can end
with Sadie's word-portrait of her generous and joyful cousin:
"Hennie made life come alive - bein with her was like bein with
fun." Henrietta Lacks is, oddly, still making life come alive. Some
see her as a saint.
-Paula Saffire is an Associate Professor of Classical Studies at
Butler University.