What was Chester Southam concerned that HeLa cells?

In the 1950s, virologist Chester Southam worried that contact with HeLa cells might infect researchers with cancer. To test this, he injected cancer patients’ arms with HeLa cells while claiming to conduct an immune system test. Nodules grew on the patients’ arms. The cancer spread to the lymph nodes of one patient.

How did Southam test the idea that cancer was caused by a virus in 1954?

He and many other scientists believed that cancer was caused by either a virus or an immune system deficiency, so Southam decided to use HeLa to test those theories. In February 1954, Southam loaded a syringe with saline solution mixed with HeLa.

Why did Southam believe he was actually testing patients for cancer?

Southam started his experiments because he wanted to understand cancer, whether it started as “a virus or an immune system deficiency” (p. 128). Southam was also worried about the safety of scientists, and he thought HeLa might “infect the scientists” (p. 127) who were working with the cells.

Why would HeLa contamination be a problem for researchers?

Why would HeLa contamination be a problem for researchers? -They will think they are testing other cells when actually they are testing HeLa cells. -Their experiments and tests will give wrong and misleading results.

What was the HeLa contamination problem?

HeLa cells were used by researchers around the world. However, 20 years after Henrietta Lacks’ death, mounting evidence suggested that HeLa cells contaminated and overgrew other cell lines. Cultures, supposedly of tissues such as breast cancer or mouse, proved to be HeLa cells.

Did Gey benefit or profit in any way from his participation in the research studies?

Did Gey benefit or profit in any way from his participation in the research studies? He did not benefit monetarily, but by letting researchers experiment with him, he felt that he did everything to cure his cancer. That also was a way to not feel regret about what he did to Henrietta, and he contributed to science.

How did Bobette find out about HeLa?

How did Bobette find out about HeLa? She was visiting a friend called Gardenia, and she was talking with Gardenia’s bother in law. You just studied 42 terms!

What is the biggest complaint about the way they have been treated by Johns Hopkins and Dr Gey?

What is the Lacks family’s biggest complaint about the way they have been treated by Johns Hopkins and Dr. Gey? They complaint, because nobody told anything about the cells. What type of cancer was George Gey diagnosed with?

What does Henrietta ask as her final request before dying?

Henrietta’s final request is that her husband Day Lacks take care of her children. This tells that she really did care about her children, and she was selfless. Gladys called Henrietta’s husband Day the night before Henrietta died.

What made day change his mind and allow the autopsy?

What made Day change his mind and allow the autopsy? What changed his mind is that when the doctors said that it might be helpful for their kids in the future.

Why did day agree to let Hopkins do an autopsy?

When Henrietta died, Day had agreed to let her doctors do an autopsy because they’d told him it might help his children someday. Then she asked Mary to tell the story about seeing her mother’s red toenails during the autopsy—the one Deborah had read in Gold’s book.

Where did Henrietta’s body stay for several days before her funeral?

Hopkins sent Henrietta’s body back to Clover for her funeral.

What was the HeLa bomb?

In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the “HeLa Bomb” refers to the discovery that the deceased patient’s cell line had inadvertently contaminated unrelated cell lines because researchers had been unaware of physical properties of Henrietta’s cells that allowed for the easy, inadvertent transfer of those cells into …

What does bobbette mean when she says I wouldnt even go there Hopkins to get my toenails cut?

What does Bobbette mean when she says “I wouldn’t even go there [Hopkins] to get my toenails cut”?  Bobbette means that she has no trust in Hopkins; she says they were “Snatchin people” (p. 165) and Sonny said they were “experimentin on black folks” (p. 165).

What does bobbette cite as a fact that would really upset Henrietta?

Study Guide. Bobbette was stunned when her new acquaintance said that he worked with living cells from Henrietta Lacks, a woman who had died of cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s. When Bobbette said that Henrietta was her mother-in-law, the man was excited—but Bobbette was horrified.

What piece of paper held the only signature of Henrietta’s on record?

mothers signature

Why did Hsu follow McKusick’s directions?

She says, “he was a famous, famous man” and “he trained most of the other famous medical geneticists in the world” (p. 182). This shows that she was in awe of Dr.
She says, “When Dr. McKusick said, ‘You go back to Baltimore, get this blood drawn,’ I did it” (p.

What is Henrietta not told about during her first treatment?

What is Henrietta not told about during her “first treatment”? Summarize the main obstacles Gey and his assistants faced in their efforts to grow cells. Henrietta’s doctor failed to tell her that the cancer treatments would leave her infertile.

Where did the name HeLa come from?

HeLa cells are the most well-known and widely used in the biological research community. The name HeLa comes from the patient Henrietta Lacks; whose cancer cells were isolated by Dr George Gey in 1951 to become the first recognized immortal cell line.

Are all HeLa cells cancerous?

There are 3 major differences between normal cells and HeLa cells: 1- HeLa cells are cancerous. Indeed, HeLa cells grow easily and rapidly, doubling cellular count in only 24 hours, making them ideal for large scale testing. They grow so fast that they can contaminate and overtake other cell cultures.