Memorable Quotes
"In this case, something went wrong: in Henrietta's medical record, one of her doctors wrote, 'Told she could not have any more children. Says if she had been told so before, she would not have gone through with treatment.' But by the time she found out, it was too late" (48).
"...it as understood that black people didn't question white people's professional judgement" (63).
"Pomerant suggested that Gey should have finished his own HeLa research before 'releasing [HeLa] to the general public since once released it becomes general scientific property.' But Gey hadn't done that. And as soon as HeLa became 'general scientific property,' people started wondering about the woman behind the cells" (104).
"Since at least the 1800s, black oral history has been filled with tales of 'night doctors' who kidnapped black people for research. And there were disturbing truths behind those stories" (165).
"'What would really upset Henrietta is that fact that Dr. Gey never told the family anything--we didn't know nothing about those cells and he didn't care. That just rubbed us the wrong way. I just kept asking everybody, 'Why didn't they say anything to the family?' They knew how to contact us! If Dr. Gey wasn't dead, I think I would have killed him my self" (169). - Bobbette Lacks, Henrietta's Mother in Law
"Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that, in theory, the Lacks family might be able to withdraw HeLa cells from all research worldwide" (328).
"'I don't want to cause problems for science,' Sonny told me as this book went to press. 'Dale wouldn't want that. And besides, I'm proud of my mother and what she done for science. I just hope Hopkins and some of the other folks who benefited off her cells will do something to honor her and make right with the family" (328). - Sonny Lacks, Henrietta's Son
"...it as understood that black people didn't question white people's professional judgement" (63).
"Pomerant suggested that Gey should have finished his own HeLa research before 'releasing [HeLa] to the general public since once released it becomes general scientific property.' But Gey hadn't done that. And as soon as HeLa became 'general scientific property,' people started wondering about the woman behind the cells" (104).
"Since at least the 1800s, black oral history has been filled with tales of 'night doctors' who kidnapped black people for research. And there were disturbing truths behind those stories" (165).
"'What would really upset Henrietta is that fact that Dr. Gey never told the family anything--we didn't know nothing about those cells and he didn't care. That just rubbed us the wrong way. I just kept asking everybody, 'Why didn't they say anything to the family?' They knew how to contact us! If Dr. Gey wasn't dead, I think I would have killed him my self" (169). - Bobbette Lacks, Henrietta's Mother in Law
"Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that, in theory, the Lacks family might be able to withdraw HeLa cells from all research worldwide" (328).
"'I don't want to cause problems for science,' Sonny told me as this book went to press. 'Dale wouldn't want that. And besides, I'm proud of my mother and what she done for science. I just hope Hopkins and some of the other folks who benefited off her cells will do something to honor her and make right with the family" (328). - Sonny Lacks, Henrietta's Son