The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

FOREWORD-CHAPTER 7

Reading Check

1. Who does Skloot say most influenced the writing of her book?

2. What were the two basic types of cervical cancer?

3. What kind of animal is George Gey compared to?

4. Which of Henrietta’s cells were immortal?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What was Henrietta informed about and not informed about in the consent form?

2. Why does Skloot mention the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment and Mississippi Appendectomies?

3. What does Alexis Carell’s story contribute to the story?

4. What does preserving the clinical language of Henrietta’s symptoms and decline do in terms of argumentation?

Paired Resource

“The Nuremberg Code”

• Created in response to public testimony related to Nazi doctors’ brutal experiments on human beings, this code of ethics in medicine defined parameters and boundaries for medical research and care of human patients but was not a legally binding document.
• This article defines the connections between Scientific Ethics and Informed Consent.
• Examine the Nuremberg Code, paying particular attention to point #1.