BP #6 - Mini Essay on HeLa and Informed Consent

Hela and Informed Consent
          This is a great book with lot of stories and researches. Full of information about The United States around 1950s. The Civil right movements, Segregation, Jim Craw Laws, Discrimination between black and white people, Cancer Research and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

          In the 1950s, the situation was very poor down south of United States. Black peoples were facing many problems at the same period of time. Henrietta Lacks was a gentle black woman from Baltimore. She had a cancer in the cervix. After a little while, she felt so sick and went to John Hopkins Hospital for medical treatment.

          During that time, it was very hard for the black people to get better treatment from the hospital. However, the doctors from John Hopkins checked her carefully. The doctor could not find any problems in the first time and later few months later they found a lot of tumor in her cervix area. By then it was in a bad position for treatment. The researchers of John Hopkins took samples of her cancer without informing Henrietta Lacks and her family.White doctors were unethical. It was unfair for the Lacks family. Later on, Henrietta died because of her cervix cancer. I had no idea about the bad medical treatment and discriminated hospitals until i read the book.
          I don't know too much about researches and medical problems in my home country. In the history we had a big fight for freedom but nothing about medical facts. I personally have no idea about medical matters.
          Now the world has changed a lot compare to the last century. Every aspects of life has been developed enormously around the countries. Medical terms has been changed. Therefore, doctors and researchers have totally different views on patients now. It is totally opposite in the current world to compare to the past. Medical science has developed and so many rule has reformed with that too. Now the researchers cannot do any research as they did before without patients concern.
          There is a lot more to know about the history of United States and medical terms. This book a great source to learn about these things more and more.
look for more information: http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/