Research Question: has the history of medical science been built on the foundation of unethical medical research/ experimentation on African Americans?
Summary: Henrietta Lacks was dying from cervical cancer in 1951, but little did she know she would one day become one of the most important women in medicine. After her death scientists removed cells from her body and grew them in the laboratory. The cells have become known to help develop the polio vaccine, invitro fertilization techniques and the development of drugs for herpes and influenza. In in 2001 each vial of her cells were selling for $167. Lack's story has been portrayed as an example of the mistreatment of African Americans in the pursuit of medical science. The article touches upon the Tuskegee syphilis study once again. This article is trying to establish the stories that helped to change the attitudes and ethics of the medical profession.
When reading through these articles I can find out how Blacks have contributed to medicine and its advancements, but the only stories that have been said to change ethics and procedures are the Henrietta Lack event and the Tuskegee study. I know for a fact there are more, but I just have to spend the time really searching for them. I want to find out what caused white physicians to stop using blacks. All of these articles are making me realize that maybe the history of medicine is based off the contributors being black.
Williams, Nigel. "Prize for the HeLa Cell Story." Current Biology 20.23. Print.
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