Sunday, September 25, 2011

Immortal cells

Do you know the name Henrietta Lacks? Rebecca Skloot has written a wonderful book entitled The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. After a surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital operated on Ms. Lacks in the "colored" ward in 1951, without her consent he scraped one of her cancer tumors and put her cells in a petrie dish. The cells have never stopped dividing, becoming the first known immortal cells. Ms. Skloot does a meticulous job of exploring every possible facet of the life of this woman, her cells, her extended family, and the medical, scientific, and journalism communities. It is a fabulous book!

2 comments:

Terri Wagner said...

Oh geez Bob I'm only half way through Romney's book.

Mrs. Who said...

Once again you are sending me to the library!