This week we talk about the darker side of cell culturing history including a man named Alexis Carrell and his not so "Immortal Chicken Heart". Also unfortunately more about eugenics...

We also get into the final months of Henrietta's life. Her cancer was incredibly aggressive and in the end there was nothing that doctors could do to stop it. However they also could have treated her with much more kindness and dignity in her final days.

After that we look into all of the fast medical advancements and breakthroughs that happened because of Henrietta's cells. We talk about the first HeLa production and Distribution factory set up at the Tuskegee Institute in order to help perfect the Polio Vaccine. We also get into the notorious Tuskegee Syphilis Study happening at the same time and going on for 40 years!???

After that we discuss the creation of the first private for profit HeLa factory at Micro Biologic Associates moving the use of Henrietta's cells from pure research and altruistic development of lifesaving vaccines to a money driven for profit tool. And can you believe it, even after making massive piles of money no one thought to compensate the source of their fortunes.

This episode is a bit of a long one but we hope you enjoy! Thanks for listening!

Sources:

“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot (2010)

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