The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: Publication
and Front Cover as a Protest Movement
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks details
the emotional story surrounding a poor African American woman dying of cervical
cancer, her family and the ethics surrounding an immortal cell line. The publication of this book brought her
ethically tangled story to the attention of the general public and facilitated
ethical and legal justice for the surviving Lacks family. The timing of publication, vivid book cover
art and emotional language wrapped within scientific reason crafted a powerful
protest that introduced the world to the study of bioethics. In a unique combination of pathos, logos and
ethos, Rebecca Skloot developed an effective protest movement involving the
interest of the general public, the National Institute of Health (NIH) and
Hollywood.
The story of the
remarkable HeLa cell line began with tragedy: at 30 years old, Henrietta Lacks
arrived at John Hopkins University Clinic with symptoms of spotting in between
menstrual periods. At the base of her cervix, doctors found a small lesion that
was no larger than one inch in diameter. After a biopsy, doctors confirmed the
lesion as cancerous. For eight months, Lacks
endured chemotherapy and immense abdominal pain. However, treatment was ineffective and Lacks
died at 12:15 AM on October 4th, 1951 (Lucey). While she was under hospital care, research
was being conducted in Dr. George Gey’s laboratory to proliferate a tissue
culture in a stable manner. Previous
cell lines had failed to provide Dr. Gey with the stability and immortality he
needed to achieve the Tissue Culture Laboratory’s goal. However, the biopsy specimen from Henrietta
Lacks’ cervical carcinoma grew prolifically. This was the first human cancer
cell line to become continually reproducible and the researchers named their
discovery “HeLa cells” as a reference to the first two letters in Henrietta
Lacks’ name (Lucey). The sturdy nature
of the cancer cells made fantastic test subjects that were sent to scientists
in the United States and around the world.
For the next sixty years, HeLa cells became, “one of the most important
tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene
mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more” (Skloot). Henrietta’s cells had been manipulated,
experimented-with, bought and sold all over the world and opened the door to a
surge of biomedical progress and financial success. However, while the
scientific community was making billions, Henrietta Lacks’ surviving family was
struggling to make ends meet. Her cells
were making enormous profits and the family could not even afford their own
health insurance. Rebecca Skloot’s book, The
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, brings Henrietta’s story to the
mainstream. The publication and vivid cover choice came as a powerful protest
with convincing motives at the right time.
In order to explore
the significance of Skloot’s influence on the subject, it is important to
acknowledge the historical context surrounding the timing of her publication in
2010. Although the content of the book
is both compelling and thought-provoking, controversies around scientific
progress and bioethics have always been rampant. The negative connotation surrounding
vaccinations, the recent cloning of Dolly the sheep, the term “Big Pharma,” and
the idea of the invention of disease were fresh in the minds of the general
public (“Cloning Dolly”). Some articles
written at the turn of the decade, including a particular one by Martha
Rosenberg, an investigative health reporter, “demonized” some scientific
progress (Novella). It was in this era of more widespread scientific distrust
that Rebecca Skloot published her book. The conflict surrounding research
laboratories unethically profiting from the success of HeLa cells with no
credit or benefit to the Lacks family fits well within the overall sentiment at
time of publication.
Fig. 1 Rebecca Skloot, Front
Cover of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Crown, 2010, front cover.
Rebecca Skloot’s
front book cover is an effective means of protest by itself, which goes beyond
the surrounding historical context.
Skloot’s choice of vivid color choice for a background of dividing cells
is starkly juxtaposed to a faded black and white photograph of Henrietta Lacks
(Fig. 1). The cells look vibrant and
alive; their cytoskeleton (yellow) are positioned like the seeds of a dandelion
about to fly-off in the wind to suggest the microscope stain was taken while
the cells were in rapid movement. The photograph is black and white but is both
faded and being slightly overtaken by the color in the background. The combination of such color choice is
mesmerizing and yet logically representative of the context of the novel:
Henrietta’s life was overshadowed by the success of her cell line. The red color pallet reminds the viewer of flames
and may be due to an intentional appeal to pathos: red can both simultaneously
and ironically appeal to love and anger. However, another important element is
the picture of Henrietta. By placing a
picture of a proud mother on the front cover, Skloot has effectively
represented identities of “motherhood” and African American Pride (Fig. 1). In a time where the injustice against females
and minority groups is being examined, Skloot’s image choice is both profound
and effective.
In addition to the
visual importance, Skloot’s emphasis on word choice and inclusion of a brief
introduction on the front cover simultaneously appeals to pathos and
logos. Ethos, the persuasion by
credibility, is not invoked in the choice of front cover images or phrasing
(“Ethos”). Skloot’s use of passionate words and phrases persuade by accessing
the emotional side of the viewer. A
reader sees the proud smiling woman and the word “immortal” perhaps initially
believing this story to be that of redemption and legacy. Then the explanation comes: “Doctors
took…without asking.” Immediately, the reader’s view has turned from hope to
distrust or anger. Skloot is appealing
to negative emotions that will hopefully convince the reader to ease their
confusion by further investigations. She intentionally bolds the first two
letters of Henrietta Lacks in her title to trigger the
interest of the competent scientific community. It is a bold technique to both
grab the attention of those familiar with HeLa cells while preparing to
question the ethics of their actions. It
is highly likely that an educated scientific researcher knows what a HeLa cell
is without knowing the convoluted ethical background surrounding their
discovery, use and success. Skloot makes a similar nod to the scientific
audience by including part of her introduction on the front cover. By giving a logical flow of the content of
her book, she is appealing to logos while also mirroring the format of a common
scientific abstract. She introduces the background, presents a problem and
hopes the reader will turn the pages to see her hypothesis and results. Skloot
also introduces the common identities of “motherhood,” “children,” and “moral”
in her brief introduction on the cover. These identities help to attach the
reader to the ethical argument that Skloot will eventually employ in her book.
The timing of
publication and cover design played a small part in the outcome that would
finally bring justice to the Lacks family and bring clarity to the issues of
bioethics. Skloot’s passion to tell an emotional story rooted in bio-ethical
injustice paid off. Henrietta Lacks name
is finally recognized at John Hopkins as both a memorial award and hospital
wing (“Henrietta Lacks Award”). In 2013,
the outcry regarding biomedical research ethics reached the attention of the
National Institute of Health. After 60
years, the NIH negotiated that, “Lack’s genome data will be accessible only to
those who apply for and are granted permission. And two representatives of the
Lacks family will serve on the NIH group responsible for reviewing...access to
HeLa cells” (Kaplan). However, in
maintaining with family requests for acknowledgement and respect of the Lacks’
name, there has been no financial settlement by John Hopkins Hospital or the
NIH. After the book gained such
popularity to be named by more than 60 critics as “one of the best books of
2010,” it is now in the process of being made into an HBO movie starring Oprah
Winfrey. Skloot’s protest very
effectively opened the scientific dialogue on bioethics while bringing justice
to a family through recognition and policy change.
Works Cited
"Cloning
Dolly the Sheep." Cloning Dolly the Sheep. Animal Research
Info. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
"Ethos
- Examples and Definition of Ethos." Literary Devices. 11 Mar.
2015. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
"Henrietta
Lacks Award." John Hopkins Urban Health Institute. John
Hopkins University, n.d. Web.
Kaplan,
Art, PhD. "NIH Finally Makes Good with Henrietta Lacks' Family -- and It's
about Time, Ethicist Says." NBC News. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
Lucey,
Brendan P., MD, Walter Nelson-Rees A., PhD, and Grover Hutchins M., MD.
"Henrietta Lacks, HeLa Cells, and Cell Culture Contamination." Archives
of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine vol. 133, no. 9, 2009 pp.1463-467.
Web.
Novella,
Steven. "Demonizing "Big Pharma"" Science-Based
Medicine. Science-Based Medicine, 22 Apr. 2010. Web.
Skloot,
Rebecca. "About The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." Rebecca
Skloot Journalist, Teacher, Author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Web. 15 Sept. 2016.
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