Chapter 20 - The HeLa Bomb

In this episode, we learn about Henrietta lacks and how the author came to learn of her existence.  We also read about the author's relationship to the Lacks family and are introduced to the struggles the family faced when first learning about HeLa cells. 

In this podcast, we read the introduction A Few Words About this Book which introduces readers to the way the author structured the book and how the book's content came to be. 

This episode explores when scientists first discovered how easily HeLa contamination could happen and its implications for scientific research. 

In this episode, we continue to learn about Henrietta's children as they grow older. 

This episode covers many of the advances made by cell culturists and the uneasy feelings among the general public. 

In this chapter, we learn of the horrific history which led to the evolution of informed consent in medical research.

We learn more history of Lacks Town as well as that of the Lacks and Pleasant families. 

We learn of Deborah's growing up years and her longing to know more about her mother. 

In this episode, we learn of the first efforts, intentional and unintentional, to keep Henrietta's name hidden from its association with the HeLa cells. 

In this episode we read about the history behind mass producing HeLa cells.