Why did Henrietta’s doctors need to ask for her family’s permission?

12) Why did Henrietta’s doctor needneedThe term information need is often understood as an individual or group’s desire to locate and obtain information to satisfy a conscious or unconscious need.

Why did Henrietta’s doctors need to ask her family permission to remove tissue samples after her death?

Why did Henrietta’s doctors need to ask for her family’s permission to remove tissue samples after her death? How did Day initially respond to their request? There were laws in place that made it illegal to take samples form bodies without permission form the deceased’s family Day said no.

What permission did day have to give doctors after Henrietta’s death?

The Storm… 1951: While no law required doctors to ask permission to take tissue from a living patient, it did require permission to perform an autopsy or remove tissue from the dead, which Day signed.

Why did the researchers want to draw blood from Henrietta’s surviving family members?

Why did researchers want DNA samples from Henrietta’s family? They wanted to recognize which cells belonge to Henriettas and which do no.

What important information did Henrietta’s doctor fail?

Her doctors did not tell her that radiation would result in infertility. Her medical record reads, “Told she could not have any more children. Says if she had been told so before, she would not have gone through with treatment.” The radiation ultimately failed as her cancer metastasized throughout her body.

What did Henrietta Lacks family consent to?

While Henrietta Lacks’ cells were taken without her informed consent when she died in 1951, it wasn’t until 1971 that her family even became aware that her cells existed, and not until very recently that they were granted any real say as to how researchers used her cells.

Why did doctors stop giving Henrietta blood transfusions?

When Henrietta’s tumor had spread all over her body, she needed constant blood transfusions since her kidneys had failed. However, one of the doctors, knowing how much Henrietta needed the transfusions, wrote a note to stop all transfusions “until her deficit with the blood bank was made up.” (p.

Was it legal for doctors to take Henrietta Lacks cells?

Though the collection and use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells in research was an acceptable and legal practice in the 1950s, such a practice would not happen today without the patient’s consent.

Why did Day let the doctors do an autopsy on Henrietta?

Someone from Hopkins called Day to ask for consent, but he declined. The next day, the doctors asked Day again when he went to Hopkins to see Henrietta’s body. The doctors explained they wanted to run tests that might someday help the Lacks children. Day’s cousin said it wouldn’t hurt, so Day agreed.

What was Henrietta’s last words?

Day and the children took to playing on the lawn outside Henrietta’s window so she could watch them. Henrietta died in October 1951. Her last words were to her sister Gladys. Henrietta Lacks’ kids were the last thing she spoke about.

What facility removed tissue from the patient Henrietta Lacks without her permission?



In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a Black mother of five who was dying of cervical cancer, went to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. Without her knowledge or consent, doctors removed a sample of cells from the tumor in her cervix.

Why didn’t Henrietta’s family know that her cells were still alive?

Why didn’t Henrietta’s family know that her cells were still alive? Henrietta’s family didn’t know her cells were still alive because her real name was not used in any articles about HeLa cells.

What was Henrietta’s final request?

Her final request was for Day to take care of the children, especially Deborah. This shows that even on her death bed all she cared about was her children.

What happened immediately after Henrietta’s funeral?

During Henrietta’s burial, a giant storm brewed. The wind upended one of the cabins in Lacks Town and even killed one of the cousins. Henrietta’s cousin Peter believes the storm was Henrietta signaling her anger.

Who dies in The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks?



Journalist Rebecca Skloot gets to the bottom of the story in her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Here are the 3 of the most fascinating lessons I’ve discovered: What is this? Henrietta Lacks was a poor black woman who died of aggressive cervical cancer at a young age, but her immortal cells lived on.

Is Henrietta Lacks a true story?

The book is based on the true story of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black tobacco farmer, whose cells — known as HeLa to the many scientists who use them — were taken without her knowledge and used to help develop some of the most important advances in medicine, including the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro