The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans - Essay Example

Introduction The three books and stories bring out the mistreatment the Africans have gone through since the colonial period up to now. The violation of basic human rights and discrimination is brought out in the three stories. The work centers on the medical or health care situations. There is a lot of racial, class and socio-economic discrimination going on, more so against the minority groups. Rebecca Skloot combines several genre in her work is a professional manner. The genres used in her book include biography, memoir, history and scientific writing. The biography genre is used when explaining Lacks’ suffering from cervical cancer. She practiced tobacco farming who after going for a medical check up, the doctors removed her cells without her knowledge these cells were used in developing the polio vaccines and other medical inventions. She also use history as she tells of past cases that show mistreatment towards the Africans; the case of Tuskegee syphilis study of 1932 that used the black men as specimen in the natural progress of syphilis by American researchers for more than 40 years without the knowledge that they had the disease. The other genre she manages to use effectively is the science writing, she use the recent scientific researches to convince the readers that the doctors broke the basic medical ethics. The genre she subverts or avoids is the memoir as it does not come out in a clear and precise manner; although she recounts Lacks’ case, which can be classified as a science writing or history. When reading the book, these genres create the curiosity and the feeling of wanting to read more and discover what follows. Skloot’s use of narratives, descriptions and dialogue hinders the readers understanding of the ethical values that are violated. The styles used show the fact errors as the scientific understanding of the writer on the mention of Hela cell development, to grow into millions without showing precisely how the figure is calculated. These errors make the reader question the intention of the writer to be well intended or not. The book’s structure affects the reader by breaking the needed reading continuity and flow of issues; this makes some people reread the book to understand why the author used such a structure, this way the issues in the book are not effectively synthesized. In the book, the author keeps shifting the use of voice as per the storyline; for instance when narrating the Lacks story and who the family did not know what killed her and that still her cells; “Hela still lives a life of their own” at this extract the tune changes to stress the issue. Skloot put herself at the position of human right activities who is condemning the wrong activities of the whites committed on the Africans and the Lacks, she wrote the book with the intention of capturing the audience’s attention towards the Lacks family so as justice can be done to them or sympathizers for the Lacks help her fight the unethical actions of the researchers. The rhetorical style of Skloots influences sympathize with Lacks’ descendants. The issue of unethical from the book and presentation can be said to be of great concern as the patients in different hospital do not know how their specimens are used. I agree with the author at when she says that the doctors carried themselves unethically. They should have at least informed the victim before using the cells in the medical inventions. The fact that the family did not know of the existence of the Hela cells until 1970 makes it persuasive. From Skloot’s written and oral work, the misuse of power and undermining of the minority is precisely; the audience asks the following; would the doctors have done the same things on an informed lady? The books discussed at the videotape to each other in that they address the unethical behaviors of the whites to the people of black origin during the colonial period up-to now. The Lacks cases broke the basic law of informed consent and the safety of the patients before the doctor’s hands. The story of medical apartheid traces the mistreatment on the Africans in the US form the 17th century up-to to now. The story shows using of the Africans for medical experiments; this is unethical just like the story of the Lacks. The stories leave one to wondering how many cases go unnoticed, as others wonder whether the education make some people undermine others, or it is just a case of racial segregation and socio-economic discrimination. These stories leave a lot of unanswered questions in the mind of the reader and the audience. From this, one is kept asking what the governments are doing to ensure that the medical researches do not violate the basic human rights, and penalties to be paid in case of violation of the laws. The presentation and the stories have helped me learn how the Africans; living in the western world, suffered during the slave period, and the way their rights were violated without consideration. The stories have helped me to campaign against any discrimination whether racial, ethnic, socio-economic or educational class. The presentation sparked interest in me to try and gauge the in put of the medical companies towards helping the poor and the disadvantaged families in society. Skloot said that doctor and other stakeholders donate towards the Lacks foundation, but the companies that benefitted from the Hela cells have not contributed. What is the government doing to ensure patients’ specimens, do not end up in the hand of unethical companies and doctors. Has the government set up the regulations and laws to ensure that the victims get compensated for the injustice committed against them? The other issue that bothers me is; why have we not seen the human right groups protest openly so that the company that made use of Hela can be pressurized to pay the Lacks family the token of appreciation? The stories have inspired me to be sensitive to others, and study what the law that governs my health related issues says to avert future violation. The inspiration I got from the presentation, has inspired me to start an educational campaigns against racial and social-economic discriminations in the social media, blogs and in the community where I live. The idea of starting a health forum at the college to discuss health injustices and unethical practices has cropped in, this way the people around me will be able to share their live experiences that may have not been recorded. These forums will be used to collect signatures to petition the government to pressurize the companies involved in Hela cells saga, to pay the Lacks family and any other mistreated person. The presentation triggers the memory of my neighbor exhumation after the information, from the hospital, leaked that the doctors had removed his internal body organs for studies. This was against natural justice as the person had not inserted the organ donation clause in his will. From the video, it is clear that the medical officers during the slavery period mistreated the African-America in an inhumane way. The author reveals how the African women used to for health research in the women genitalia. The operations done without anesthesia as the white doctors believed that the black people do not feel the pain. The author also reveals how the black prisoners used as check-board for the cosmetic chemicals. The chemicals affected their body severely. One doctor called James, used to carry his experimental research on the blacks; he could open the young blacks’ skulls and jaws without application of anesthesia. Currently, the research is ongoing as the unidentified bodies are used for the medical research, those who do not claim the bodies are usually poor, homeless and mostly the blacks. In conclusion, the doctors should serve everybody with the respect they require. This way, the treatment will be equally being given to each patient and they will fell safe before the doctors. Finally, the policymakers should come up with strict policies, to reduce unethical cases from among the doctors and research companies. Work cited Harriet Washington “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present” Social History of Medicine 2007. 20 (3): 620-621. Print Read More