Chapter 15: Do you get a sense of Deborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen? How did that play a role in her molestation?
Chapter 16: Why do the "white" and "colored" Lacks families have different beliefs about their interconnections?
Chapter 17: What were the justifications given for Southam's failure to inform his subjects?
Chapter 18: Why were scientists worried that cell and tissue research was becoming a disaster? What seemed to be going wrong?
Chapter 19: What was Joe trying to say when he wrote "the critical time is now"?
Chapter 20: What was the theory of spontaneous transformation? What significance did Gartler's findings have for this theory?
Chapter 21: Why did the family treat Rebecca Skloot differently from journalists who had come around before? What made her different?
Chapter 22: Would you volunteer to serve as a subject in medical research, as George Gey did? Why or why not?
Chapter 22: I felt like it was really ridiculous for Gey to offer himself as research material. I believe he delved himself so far into research that he forgot that he is human, not material to be used for research purposes. I myself would not have agreed at all. I would not allow myself to be a part of research without understanding what I would be getting myself into. If I know its for the help of a great cause like finding a cure for cancer or something, I would donate some of my cells and let them be studied. I definitely would not throw myself into research like I don't even care what happens to myself though.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you! I would donate cells but not my whole body!i think Gey was so engulfed the idea of science and medicine moving forward that he threw all caution to the wind.
DeleteChapter 15: Do you get a sense of Deborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen? How did that play a role in her molestation?
ReplyDeleteAnyone reading this chapter can get a sense of Deborah’s ambivalence towards Galen, her cousin. Firstly, it would seem normal, in Deborah’s situation, for her to feel somewhat uncertain about the relationship she has with her family. For one, in the Lacks family, it has become a custom for cousins to “have their way with each other”. At the time of Deborah’s encounters with Galen, she was a young girl—naïve to much of the world. Deborah knew in her heart that it wasn’t right for Galen to touch her inappropriately. Deborah also understood that if she spoke about Galen touching her to an adult, no one would believe her, or someone (Bobbette) would believe her and go to jail for killing Galen.
Deborah’s ambivalence to Galen played a role in her molestation because of Galen’s different attitudes he would have towards Deborah. One minute Galen is treating Deborah like she’s his daughter, and the next minute Galen is treating 12 year old Deborah like a grown woman. With Galen’s switched attitudes towards Deborah, it may have been difficult for Deborah to finally not be hesitant about her relationship with Galen.
I think it is very sad that Deborah had to endure that abuse and the mental effect that it had on her in the long run.
DeleteChapter: 15
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this chapter one definitely gets a sense of Deborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen. She was terrified of Galen because of what he was doing to her, but she felt that Galen was one of the few people in her life who cared about her. She felt that fatherly feel for Galen that she was not receiving or feeling for/ from her own father. She wants to steer clear of Galen, but at the same time she felt that he played a fatherly role in her life.
Her ambivalence towards Galen played a role in her molestation because of different roles he displayed towards her. He, at one point, was the fatherly figure she never had from Day that showered her with gifts and bought her other items a dad would provide for his daughter. On the other hand, he flipped the roles when he treated young Deborah as an adult, inappropriate physical behavior and language towards Deborah. She was confused and struggling with positive and negative roles feelings she had for Galen.
Agreed! It was probably mentally exhausting for Deborah to figure out which role Galen wanted to play on a day to day basis.
DeleteChapter 21: Rebecca Skloot is distinguished from the other journalists for several reasons. After the discovering of who the HeLa cells belonged to, journalists had been desperately contacting the family for information specifically on the cells and the scientific part of Henrietta's life. Skloot wanted to dig deeper get on a more personal level with the family, and uncover the mystery of Henrietta's life behind the HeLa cells. Even though she was rejected several times and stood up, she never gave up on getting in touch with the family. The family knew that she was not similar to the other journalists, because she went above and beyond by traveling to where they were, talking to people in the towns that knew Henrietta, and asking them personal questions about there individual life stories along with Henrietta's life. They knew that she wasn't of any harm, and that she wanted to benefit the family by writing a book.
ReplyDeleteGood observation!
DeleteChapter 18: Scientist were worried about the cell and tissue research becoming a disaster because they found out that cells that was grew in culture that transformed and became cancerous occurred because of contamination. For scientist in non cell specific research this wasn't a big deal. However, for cell-specific research that used contaminated cells the results would be worthless. In order to prevent complete chaos, researchers were encouraged to use protective measures such as working under hoods with suction that pulled air and potential contaminants into a filtration system.
ReplyDeleteCorrect! No person in their right mind would allow scientist to contaminate the cells in their body just to treat whatever condition they had using the only method that they knew. Scientist were definitely pressed to find new treatments using uncontaminated cells.
DeleteChapter 17: When he began injecting gynecologic surgery patients without informing them of the nature of the injections, he sometimes told them he was testing them for cancer. On some level, he believed this, but it seemed more like a rationalization. He already knew that some patients had developed metastasized tumors; continuing to do to was to deliberately administer poison to see which patients died.
ReplyDeleteLater, he relied on the excuse that using the word "cancer" because "he didn't want to cause any unnecessary fear." He also stated that, "To withhold such emotionally disturbing but medically nonpertinent details ... is in the best tradition of responsible clinical practice." He may as well have hooked up his victims to a suicide machine and told them the button only calls a nurse.
Skloot suggests that he hid the truth because many of his subjects "might have refused to participate." The quantity of subjects in his study seems far beyond what would have been necessary, even if such study had not been repugnant. I surmise that he was a sick &@$#@r% who enjoyed playing God and found pleasure in causing suffering and hoping for death.
I agree with the author because a lot of his subjects probably would have declined had he been honest and forthright! What he was doing was not right at all!
DeleteChapter 15 Do you get a sense of Deborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen? How did that play a role in her molestation?
ReplyDeleteDeborah's ambivalence in her feelings toward Galen shows up in chapter 15. Galen, the husband of her aunt, beat and molest Deborah numerous times beginning at age 10. While Deborah hated the way Gale treated her and wished it would end, she also felt "close" to him. According to Skloot, "Despite the beating and the molesting, Deborah felt closer to Galen than she ever did to Day. When he wasn't hurting her, Galen showered her with attention and gifts (Skloot 114.)" Deborah hated Galen for the abuse but also loved him for his attention which was way more than she was receiving from her own father, Day.
This makes me wonder if Day was aware of what Galen was doing to Deborah and if he knew, how would he have reacted.
DeleteDeborah ambivalence played a role in her molestation because she protected him. She had numerous times to tell Bobbette what was happening to her but she feared what would happened to Gale. She had no control over what Gale did to her, but she never sought help for the abuse. She just overlooked it and so did everyone else.
ReplyDelete20. Spontaneous transformation referred to the random transformation of a cell culture without the addition of any agents. Gartler found that the HeLa cells were contaminating cell cultures. He found that HeLa could travel through the air, enter a cell culture, and completely take over. This meant that any research done on other cell cultures in the same lab as the HeLa cells were not valid. It meant that scientists were testing HeLa cells over and over again. Gartler’s findings completely destroyed the spontaneous transformation theory. As he said “normal cells didn’t become cancerous, they were simply taken over by HeLa cells.” No cell was actually spontaneously transformed, thus throwing out the theory.
ReplyDelete21. The family treats Rebecca Skloot so differently because she is not concerned about the HeLa cells whatsoever. Skloots only concern is learning everything she can about Henrietta and writing a story about her. Every time a reporter called the Lacks it was always concerning the HeLa cells. Skloot was the first to say she wanted to tell the story about the woman behind the cells and give Henrietta the credit she deserves. Furthermore, even after initially being rejected by the family, Skloot continued to press on and try to contact the family. She had perseverance and went every step of the mile to speak with the family. This is something no other reporter did. No other reporter showed interest in the family or continued to press on after the first no. Skloot was also the first to really speak with the family and explain just what the HeLa cells did for science. She felt that the family was done an injustice and it needed to be corrected. Her agenda was never the cells, it was always Henrietta.
Ch20:good observation
DeleteCh21: the last sentence is a well put summary!!
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ReplyDeleteChapter 15: Do you get a sense of Deborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen? How did that play a role in her molestation?
ReplyDeleteI got a sense of Deborah’s ambivalence in her feelings about Galen. Her feelings were indecisive. She loved him but yet hated him for what he did to her. In the beginning she was confused about her feeling because sometimes Galen, her uncle, would buy her gifts and give her attention, unlike her father. She felt closer to him than her own father. Deborah confused her feeling for love but she was only a child. Deborah hated when he beats and touches her body. Deborah’s uncertainty in her feeling played an important role in her molestation. She felt more scared and confused in discussing her molestation with anyone in her family. She craved love and attention and Galen gave it to her but with a heavy price.
Chapter 17: What were the justifications given for Southam's failure to inform his subjects?
Southam’s justifications for not telling his patients were unreasonable and selfish. Southam wrote that he did not want to tell patients, that the syringe he was injecting into them was full of cancer cells because “he didn’t want to cause unnecessary fear.” He also believed that the use of the word cancer has certain drawbacks, which were connected to “phobia and ignorance that surrounds” it. Southam chose to not tell the patient because he knew they would refuse to participate in his study. Southam’s failures to inform his subjects were out of his own benefits. He thought it was better to withhold information from his subjects. He would say, “…To withhold such emotionally disturbing but medically nonpertinent details…is in the best tradition of responsible clinical practice.” Skloots implies in the book that Southam’s excuse was bogus from the beginning. When Southam answered a reporter’s question about why he did not injected himself with the cancerous cell, he said “it seemed stupid to take even a little risk.” He knew the risks of the cancer increasing in patients with preexisting cancer and the risk of the cancer coming back again in patient without cancer prior to the study, but he did not care. Southam’s research was illegal, immoral, and deplorable.
16. Black people and white people were still kind of segregated in this time. Cliff said that the white Lacks knew that their kin was all buried in the cemetery with the black Lacks family, but they would just deny it. That's exactly what they did when Rebecca went to visit the white Lacks. Ruby said that they never knew each other. Later, Rebecca ask Gladys, Henrietta's sister, about the subject. She said that they were kin but they just didnt mix.
ReplyDeleteChapter 15: Do you get a sense of Deborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen? How did that play a role in her molestation?
ReplyDeleteDeborah's ambivalence in her feelings about Galen is very apparent. Deborah on numerous accounts would refuse to listen to Galen's orders and when Galen touched her inappropriately for the first time, Deborah sat "in the back pressed against the car door to get as far from Galen as she could". Although she was young, it was apparent that Deborah knew that Galen's advances toward her was wrong. However, Deborah still felt really close to Galen because her dad never gave her as much attention as Galen did. He was the "father figure" that she always wanted. Fortunately, after Galen "chased her through the house naked...she told Galen she didn't want any more gifts".
Chapter 20: What was the theory of spontaneous transformation? What significance did Gartler's findings have for this theory?
ReplyDeleteGartler found that normal cells don't spontaneously become cancerous. The spontaneous transformation theory claimed that such thing did occur based on findings from researchers' studies on cells in their labs. Gartler claimed that such transformations were due to contamination by HeLa cells. He said that all the cultures are "HeLa cell contaminants". Other than discrediting the theory, Gartler also "was essentially telling the audience that all those years researchers thought they were creating a library of human tissues, they'd probably just been growing and regrowing HeLa".
Chapter 16: Why do the "white" and "colored" Lacks families have different beliefs about their interconnections?
ReplyDeleteIt is evident when reading this chapter that this was a time were “white” and “colored” beliefs differed greatly. Whites during this time period felt superior, and consider blacks to be inferior to them. Though the whites knew they had black relatives, they would never admit to this. One could infer that white individuals would look down on them if they knew they had black family members. Similarly, it says in the book that the “white and colored” family members did not mix.
What does chapter 19s question mean? I don't understand
ReplyDelete