Chapter 22: “The Fame She So Richly Deserves”
For the paper in which Henrietta’s real name was first published, see H. W. Jones, V. A. McK-
usick, P. S. Harper, and K. D. Wuu, “George Otto Gey (1899–1970): The HeLa Cell and a Re-
appraisal of Its Origin,” Obstetrics and Gynecology 38, no. 6 (December 1971). Also see J.
Douglas, “Who Was HeLa?” Nature 242 (March 9, 1973); and J. Douglas, “HeLa,” Nature 242
(April 20, 1973), and B. J. C, “HeLa (for Henrietta Lacks),” Science 184, no. 4143 (June 21,
1974).
Information regarding the misdiagnosis of Henrietta’s cancer and whether that affected her
treatment comes from interviews with Howard W Jones, Roland Pattillo, Robert Kurman, Dav-
id Fishman, Carmel Cohen, and others. I also relied on several scientific papers, including S.
B. Gusberg and J. A. Corscaden, “The Pathology and Treatment of Adenocarcinoma of the
Cervix,” Cancer 4, no. 5 (September 1951).
For sources regarding the HeLa contamination controversy, see notes for chapter 20. The
text of the 1971 National Cancer Act can be found at can-
cer.gov/aboutnci/national-cancer-act-1971/allpages.
Sources regarding the ongoing controversy include L. Coriell, “Cell Repository,” Science
180, no. 4084 (April 27, 1973); W A. Nelson-Rees et al., “Banded Marker Chromosomes as
Indicators of Intraspecies Cellular Contamination,” Science 184, no. 4141 (June 7, 1974); K.
S. Lavappa et al., “Examination of ATCC Stocks for HeLa Marker Chromosomes in Human
Cell Lines,” Nature 259 (January 22, 1976); W K. Heneen, “HeLa Cells and Their Possible
Contamination of Other Cell Lines: Karyotype Studies,” Hereditas 82 (1976); W A. Nel-
son-Rees and R. R. Flandermeyer, “HeLa Cultures Defined,” Science 191, no. 4222 (January
9, 1976); M. M. Webber, “Present Status of MA-160 Cell Line: Prostatic Epithelium or HeLa
Cells?” Investigative Urology 14, no. 5 (March 1977); and W A. Nelson-Rees, “The Identifica-
tion and Monitoring of Cell Line Specificity,” in Origin and Natural History of Cell Lines (Alan
R. Liss, Inc., 1978).
I also relied on both published and unpublished reflections by those directly involved in the
controversy. Published articles include W A. Nelson-Rees, “Responsibility for Truth in Re-
search,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 356, no. 1410 (June 29, 2001); S. J.
O’Brien, “Cell Culture Forensics,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 98, no.
14 (July 3, 2001); and R. Chatterjee, “Cell Biology: A Lonely Crusade,” Science 16, no. 315