The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks/ Part 2 Study Guide

Why didn't Henrietta's family know that her cells were still alive?

They didn't use Henrietta's name in any press releases

What reasons did Berg give for wanting information about the woman whose cells were used to grow HeLa?

He was intrigued with the scientific and human interest elements in the story

Explain the contribution HeLa made to genetics.

HeLa made to genetics.

Henrietta's cells were the first to be cloned and showed humans have 46 chromosomes

What was Chester Southam concerned that HeLa cells might do?

Cause cancer in those who handled it.

Describe the experiment that Southam developed to test his hypothesis about HeLa.

He injected a saline solution mixed with HeLa into subjects and watched for tumor

Based on the results of the second study, what two things did Southam believe that injections of HeLa cells might be able to do?

Get a cancer vaccine and quickly diagnose cancer

Why did Jewish doctors object to Southam's cancer study?

It violated the Nuremberg Code

Summarize various ways HeLa was used in space programs

HeLa was used in space programs

Went up in 2nd satellite from Russia and US Satellite, zero gravity simulations, test radiation levels, went up in first orbit

Explain what happens during somatic cell fusion

Fused cells combine genetic material

What does the refrain "thats a miracle" suggest about Sonny and Lawrence's worldview and values.

God is central to them. Good things in life come from his doing, particularly miraculous ones

After discovering his cancer was terminal, why did Gey offer himself as a research subject?

He wanted to advance science if he had to die

What do the Lackses believe Johns Hopkins did to black people?

They believed that Hopkins would snatch black people off the street ad experiment on them.

Why did Henrietta's doctors need to ask for her family's permission to remove tissue samples after her death? How did Day initially respond to their request?

There were laws in place that made it illegal to take samples form bodies without permission form the deceased's family; Day said no.

Why is standardization important in scientific research?

It keeps the research plausible, safe, repeatable.

How old were Henrietta's oldest (Lawrence) and youngest (Joe) children when their mother died?

Lawrence was 4 years old, and Joe was 1 year old when she died.

According to Henrietta's cousin Cliff, what is "beautiful" about the idea of "slave-owning white Lackses being buried under their black kin"?

There are spending the eternity in the same place. Even though the segregation that existed while they were alive they were buried in the same tomb.

How are the white and black Lackses related? Who are their common ancestors?

They are blood related. The common ancestors were Alber Lacks (Father), Arbert Lacks(Son) Winston Lacks and Benjamin Lacks.

What was the result of Southam's first research study? Based on these results, did his hypothesis appear to be correct?

The patients developed tumors, but the tumors banish with the time except for four patients that the tumors grew back. Yes, his appeared correct.

What are "night doctors?"

They were doctors who tested drugs on slaves and operated on them to get new surgical techniques, often without anesthesia.

What type of cancer was George Gey diagnosed with?

Pancreatic Cancer

What does the 1969 Johns Hopkins study reveal about the researcher's attitude and assumptions about race?

They thought that black people were criminals

What was the purpose of President Nixon's National Cancer Act?

His purpose was try to find a cure for cancer.

How did Bobette respond to Deborah's pregnancy?

she cried and ensured Deborah would graduate from school

What was the lawyer's main argument in Joe's defense?

Joe's lawyer argument was that Joe felt inferior of the other people, and he need to protect himself more than the other persons.

Why didn't Deborah go through with her plan to kill Cheetah? What did she do instead?

Because Bobette reminded her that she will go to prison if she does it. Instead she packed all her belongings and moved out.

What did Stanley Gartler discover about eighteen of the most commonly used cell cultures?

He discovered that they all contained a rare genetic marker called glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase-A (G6PDA).

What unique abilities did HeLa have that allowed it to contaminate cultures without researchers being aware that contamination had occurred?

HeLa cell could float through the air on dust particles. They also could travel from one culture to the other in hands an pipettes or from lab to lab in researcher's coats or shoes, and ones they landed in an culture dish they fill all the space in it.

Why would HeLa contamination be a problem for researchers?

That could be a problem for the researcher's because that means that the studies that they made before could be wrong, and it will be hard grow up cell lines with all the measure against contamination.

What is "spontaneous transformation"? What did Gartler suggest about spontaneous transformation?

Spontaneous transformation means that something change or become in something different quickly without reason. He suggest that this transformation never happened with normal cell were HeLa who transformed them in cancerous cell.

How did the scientific community respond to Gartler's theory about HeLa Contamination?

Many scientists did not believe it and continued work with them.

What did Howard Jones realize when he reviewed Henrietta's medical records?

He realized that Henrietta's cancer was "misinterpreted" and "mislabeled".