Modern health care and science owe a great deal to the contribution of Henrietta Lacks. Diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951, her tumor cells, which researchers used without permission, were cultivated, commercialized and used in over 75,000 research studies.
Per the World Health Organization, "Henrietta Lacks' cells have paved the way for advancements from HPV and polio vaccines to medications for HIV/AIDS and breakthroughs including in vitro fertilization." Mrs. Lacks’ family did not learn of this for over 20 years, and only in 2013 began to have some control over how her genome would be used.
To learn more about the history of betrayed trust by the healthcare establishment has affected Black people’s health, read the book chapter The Importance of Trust in the Physician-Patient Relationship and in Medical Care from the eBook Blacks in Medicine by Richard A. Williams. More books and research to learn about the Black experience in healthcare can be found on the library’s guides Black Health and Black Maternal Health.
Featured eBook
Blacks in Medicine by 1st edition - Explores the little-known history and present climate of Black people in the medical field. Illustrated across 10 expertly written chapters, this text features a longitudinal timeline with the presentation of evidence-based information drawn from historical, political, and clinical sources. The book begins with an analysis of diseases particularly prevalent in the Black community due to socioeconomic inequalities in available medical care. These diseases include sickle cell anemia, hypertension, heart failure, drug addiction, and HIV/AIDS. It is written for a broad range of physicians and health providers, as well as professionals in the social sciences and public health.
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