The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by: Rebecca Skloot

Wow, what a book! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks turned out to be more than I could have ever imagined it being! This was my first true biography and I was very pleasantly surprised with how intrigued it kept me. Being in medical school, I found this especially relevant and thought provoking. It is the story of a young woman who was diagnosed with cervical cancer and then treated at Johns Hopkins Research Hospital. During her treatment, without her consent or knowledge the doctors took her cells for the purpose of research. They are now called "HeLa" cells and are used across the world. Any medical scientist has undoubtedly used them in some capacity. "The first immortal cancer cell line"... these cells have offered an immeasurable contribution to research, including cancer studies, AIDS research, gene mapping, and they were used to test the first polio vaccine. However, until recently (when this book came out) no one knew much about the woman behind these cells. Skloot did an amazing job telling the story of Henrietta and her family, from the details of Henrietta's childhood to the present day life of her daughter Deborah, who never actually knew her mother and didn't find out until later in life that her mother's cells had been kept alive.


This book is about Henrietta Lacks, but it is equally about medical ethics. And it raises so many questions. When should a patient be required to give consent? Should families be compensated for participating in research? What if one person could save millions, but refuses? When is it ok for people or companies to receive excessive compensation for medical advances? Example, is it ok for a company to make millions off of someone else's cells, in this case HeLa cells? Should Henrietta's children be paid for her contributions? There are so many ethical questions in medical research that need to be answered and defined, though many must be answered by each person separately. 


The book also sheds some light on the medical industry, both past and present. While I don't think it is wholly indicative of the field it does certainly offer a different perspective. Unfortunately Henrietta's cells were taken back in the 50s, before there were consent forms and HIPPA laws, so while frowned upon nothing illegal was actually done. But, another question, how should this be dealt with today? Should it be dealt with today? So many questions...


I commend Skloot for venturing to write such a book, for daring to bring to light so many facts which were kept secret for so many years.  I can assume that this book was not well received by most in the industry, though as a student I welcome these questions and debates. And for that reason, coupled with the fact that this book is just all around interesting, I am placing this book on my favorites list.