“Doctors often withheld even the most fundamental
information from their patients, sometimes not giving them any diagnosis at all” (Skloot 63)
In the opening paragraphs of Chapter 8 "A Miserable
Specimen," it begins with Henrietta returning to Johns Hopkins in early June
complaining that the cancer was back, and spreading. She declared that she
could feel it growing inside her body, but the conclusion her doctors came to
was that nothing was wrong. One doctor stated that there was no factual
evidence of any cancerous recurrence, and to return the following month. There
is reason to suspect that Henrietta did not question her doctors’ opinions
because during the 1950s, “this was a time when ‘benevolent deception’ was a
common practice,” and numerous doctors gave the excuse that they did not wish
to confuse their patients with material that they assumed could not grasp.
(Skloot 63) I believe that this way of thinking is uncalled for, especially
when dealing with matters such as a life threatening disease such as cancer.
After weeks upon weeks of dealing with excruciating pain, doctors finally used
an X-ray to examine Henrietta and what they found would be “Inoperable.” (Skloot
64) Unfortunately for Henrietta, the sadness of her situation only worsened until
she finally decided to stay at the hospital, because her trips to and from Hopkins
became unbearable.
Word Count: 202
Skloot, Rebecca. "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" New York. Broadway Paperbacks, Crown Publishing, 2010. Print.
