Ethics into the Field of Medicine - Essay Example

Ethics Introduction Born Loretta Pleasant in 1920, Henrietta Lacks was an American woman whose case revolutionized he filed of medicine. She was born and bred in Virginia but later moved to Baltimore, Maryland at the age of 21. Not even her parents could explain the change in the name of their daughter. Additionally, the name change had minimal ramifications to her story as she later became famous though not for any good reasons. While living in Baltimore, Lacks noticed a red pigmentation in her cervix and therefore visited a gynecologist at the John Hopkins hospital where the doctors ran a number of tests on her. Her doctor, Dr. Howard Jones made unique observations that did not look like any conventional cancer signs. “A purple lesion on the cervix” was unique to Lacks case a feature that prompted the doctor to take a portion of samples from the patients for detailed studies and testing in other facilities elsewhere with the promise that the findings of the research would help treat the sick Lacks (Skloot, 2011). Demographics of the case Demographics in scientific and psychological studies refer to the changes in people. The story of Henrietta Lacks presents numerous change both in the woman and the cell samples extracted from her cervix. The story of the woman shows a woman coming of age thus awakening to attract the attention of the world owing to the uniqueness of her diseases. She changed her name in unclear circumstances, a feature that shows the extent of the awakening in her. Her cells on the other hand became the first human cells to grow out of the human body. Such were iconic developments that changed scientific studies and the practice of medicine globally. Findings from the study helped numerous other professionals in various disciplines since it offered a perfect research sample in the study of the growth of cells. Summary of the researchers’ actions As explained earlier, Lacks’ cells portrayed a unique behavior thereby being the first cells extracted from the human body to grow. The development attracted the interests of numerous researchers. Lacks’ gynecologist, Dr. Howard Jones had sent the cell samples to Dr. George Otto Gey who had been doing research on human cells for years. The cells from Lacks were extraordinary since they grew and Dr. George Otto cultivated them with the view to running numerous other researches on several other unrelated diseases. Key among such diseases was polio. He named the cells HeLa cells in order to make studies and scientific researches easier. Among the studies he carried on the cells was to take them in the space in his attempt to observe the growth pattern of human cells at zero gravity. Additionally, he cultivated the cells in commercial quantities thereby selling them to numerous other companies such as cosmetic manufacturers among many others who wanted such vita cells in order to observe the side effects their products would have on their consumers. In short, Dr. George Otto Gey turned Lacks’ cells into commercial products, which he produced in mass and enjoyed immense financial benefits from the studies. The violated ethical principles in the case Key among the violated ethical principles in the case was the lack of consent. Neither Lacks nor her family sanctioned the successive scientific researches the various doctors carried out on her cells. Doctors must always seek the permission of their patients before taking samples from their bodies for studies. In the case alongside, Dr. Howard Jones simply took a sample of Lacks’ cells with a promise of carrying in depth analysis and studies on the cells before he could treat the patents (Hughes & Baldwin, 2006). However, such a gross violation of the basic human right was attributed to the lack of effective regulations and legislations. At the time, doctors did not require the approval of either their patients or their families before running tests on their bodies. The lack of such a vital legislation created a vacuum that led to a gross violation of a vital human right. The doctors cultivated the cells and turned them into commercial products, which they manufactured at a large scale. They made billions in profits from the sale of the HeLa cells and made fundamental discoveries owing to the use of the cells in the study of such diseases as polio among many others. They derived these benefits at the expense of the poor woman from Maryland who could not only afford the dignified hospital treatment of her illness but did not also know her rights and privileges. The lack of an effective legislations created space for the medical practitioners to violate the rights of a patients. Despite the lack of a legislation, the actions of the doctors were unethical since it was an act of exploitation. Another violation of the ethical principles was the fact the doctors publishes Lacks medical reports with the permission of either Lacks or any of her close family members. As if commercializing the cells was not enough, the doctors proceeded to publish Lacks medical report in their attempt to convince their target market on the viability of the scientific studies on the cells. While consent was not a legal or customary requirement in the practice of medicine at the time, patient confidentiality remained a vital ethical concern in the practice of medicine ever since. Despite such basic understandings, the desire for profitability overrode the need to maintain the confidentiality of the patient as the doctors published Lacks most confidential medical reports to the public (Gold, 1986). The successive study of the HeLa cells led to other gross violations of ethical standards in the study of medicine in the country. One of such studies was an experiment the doctors carried out at Ohio prison. They set up a voluntary camp at the prison and convinced prisoners to take part in the studies where the doctors injected the prisoners with HeLa cancer cells. Firstly, the prisoners did not know the content of the cells and their possible ramifications. The entire experiment was a violation of basic human rights since the doctors used the prisoners as specimens. They withheld vital information from the prisoners. Prisoners just as any other American citizen has basic rights and freedoms bestowed on the American bill of rights. Such acts therefore violated the ethical dictates of confidentiality, consent and the need to inform subjects in a scientific study. Diversity implications Numerous other doctor continued with studies on the HeLa cells thereby making other iconic discoveries. Key among such was Leonard Hayflick, a cell biologist who discovered the concept of “spontaneous transformation”. He watched as the HeLa cells turned cancerous when cultivated under a different environment. Such findings would prove that Lacks had a high chance of suffering from cancer and that her fears about her medical conditions were in deed valid. The cell biologists watched through a microscope lenses as the active HeLa cells turned into malignant tissues a feature that could jeopardize human life. Conclusion Henrietta Lacks’ case was a unique one that presented numerous cases of ethical violations while providing medical practitioners with the opportunity to make landmark discoveries. Her medical condition was disturbing just as is always the case in many other cases where patients suspect cancerous infection. When she visited a gynecologist, the doctor could not diagnose her condition owing to the uniqueness of the symptoms she presented. A medical study on her cell samples led to the discovery of HeLa cells, which transformed the practice. However, the doctors violated some of their basic operational ethics such as obtaining cell samples and commercializing the cells with the patient’s permission. References Hughes, J. C., & Baldwin, C. (2006). Ethical issues in dementia care: Making difficult decisions. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Skloot, R. (2011). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway Paperbacks. Gold, M. (1986). A conspiracy of cells: One womans immortal legacy and the medical scandal it caused. Albany: State University of New York Press. Read More