How we cite our quotes: (Page)
Quote #4
"The biopsy [...] has secured for the patient, Henrietta Lacks as HeLa, an immortality which has now reached 20 years. Will she live forever if nurtured by the hands of future workers? Even now Henrietta Lacks, first as Henrietta and then as HeLa, has a combined age of 51 years." (173)
Jones' and colleagues wrote this in an article on Gey's contributions to science. Notice how easily Jones makes the connection between Henrietta Lacks as a person and her immortal cells. Somehow, he's now able to see Henrietta as a person when he described the immortality that her cells have given her.
Quote #5
"That lady has achieved true immortality, both in the test-tube and in the hearts and minds of scientists the world over, since the value of HeLa cells in research, diagnosis, etc., is inestimable. Yet we do not know her name!" (175)
In this 1973 letter to the scientific journal Nature, researcher J. Douglas makes a plea to set the HeLa record straight. He seemed to understand that immortality of any kind does nothing for a person if they remain anonymous or wrongly named.
Quote #6
"It's an unfortunate thing what happened, they should still be very proud, their mother will never die as long as the medical science is around, she will always be such a famous thing." (189)
This is scientist Hsu's comment to Skloot concerning the mishandling of Henrietta's family by the scientific community. But does she get it yet? She seems to think that cellular immortality should make up for any misunderstanding or anxiety felt by the Lacks family.