Good, the Bad and the Ugly

"HeLa cells 50 years on: the good, the bad and the ugly" by John R. Masters

Research Question: has the history of medicine been built on the foundation of unethical research/experimentation on African Americans? 

Summary: was what happened to Henrietta ethical? Some would like to argue that it was because "it was not customary the to ask for written permission to obtain such samples for research purposes, and there is no record that Henrietta consented or not to the use of her cells." Because of this dilemma a requirement today for documented patient consent for research samples has been put into place. Many would liketo cover up the main topic by pointing in a different direction. Emphasizing more on what she has done for science by always mentioning she helped create the polio vaccine and invitro fertilization but what has science done for her? The same is happening with the other cases involving those unwilling slave patients. It is not all about the science, what  needs to be realized is that there were actual people behind these experiments. Those people are not something that can buried. These operations and medications have not appeared put of thin air. 

As I continue to read I am starting to realize that medical science has been built on the backs of blacks. Without them we would not have these surgerys today that save so many peoples lives or the medications for which have been formulated to keep someone alive. Do we really thank the white physicians or the Blacks who suffered day in and day out in order to be shoved on sidelines not getting a chance to play?

Masters, John R. "HeLa cells 50 years on: the good, the bad and the ugly." Nature Review: Cancer 2 (2002): 315-319. Print