Left Out

Scientists forget that the samples they are working with come from a human being. Someone like them and not lab rats or fruit flies. The use of HeLa cells has aided in many discoveries. Its upsetting to see a family without health care and other survival needs we view as standard. The only reason the Lacks family found out about Henrietta's cells was do to the post-doc calling and wanting to take more samples from the family to aid in their research. The applications with HeLa cells was done with good intentions but the way it was done was unethical.

The U.S apologizes

No sense of moral obligation for Doctors/Researchers back then

The book is getting pretty good. I thought it was pretty bad when Jones and Gey took Henrietta's cells w/o her consent but after hearing about how doctors and researchers treated African-American patients during the time is just sickening. I can understand why people didn't trust or wanted to see the doctors unless they absolutely had to. Researchers studying syphilis let their subjects die when it could have been treated, infecting healthy patients w/syphilis, and unnecessary hysterectomies in order to control the African-American population...I just think that it is amazing that all of this stuff was happening not too long ago. Although we might not see or hear of such things as often now, there is still a sense of bigotry and fear among many people in the U.S. especially towards people of a particular faith or sexual orientation...I feel that it is just sad especially in this day and age.

Samples and Tissues From Patients

Earlier Dr. Bournias asked: What happens to the blood you leave at the doctor's office? The little plastic cups full of urine? That mole you had removed that one time? and it made me think about the time I had a partial lumpectomy to remove a benign growth of cells. I do not really know what the doctors did with the mass of cells, they could have disposed of them or they could have kept them for scientific study. If the doctors did keep them I would not have minded although if they were generating some kind of money out of them I would want a part of that. I think patients should know what happens to their samples or any removed tissue. Patients should be given a choice about the possibilities that could happen to something that was a part of them.

Sterile Techniques in the Gey Lab

Starts on page 37. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been creating a aseptic lab room. I really enjoyed the description of Mary's routine just to attempt to pass cells that she didn't even think would survive. Later in the chapter the author also describes how Gey designed suspension rollers. I thought that was really cool especially since we just grew suspension cells... but our line doesn't require rollers.

When I hear the words John Hopkins Hospital, I think of medical advancement, many medical specialties and quality treatment. Its amazing that a top hospital was built for the sick and poor.
In 1951, people like Henrietta Lacks feared medical institutions like John Hopkins (which she had a right to). These days people run to the doctor's office for the slightest cough. I've ran my own dog to the pet emergency hospital over whimpering.

About The Four Founding Physicians at John Hopkins

Shock and Age

The accumulation of misfolded protein marks the accrual of years as the body ages. Could heat shock proteins be used to reduce the effects of aging and diminish the risk of disease by untangling improperly folded proteins?

Read more:Shock and Age - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Scienceshttp://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/57461/#ixzz12CCEufTD

The gates of immortality

http://www.the-scientist.com/2010/10/1/38/1/