Either this is a badly written article or I have no emotional attachment to the cell lines that I work with which are in fact a "contaminant of Hela cells". They are my babies on good days and I hate them when they refuse to go. But do I sit and ponder over the personality and history of the person behind the cells.
No.
Cells are cells. Hela cells are what allows me to have a job today but frankly, there is no 'story' behind it.
"For scientists, cells are often just like tubes or fruit flies—they’re just inanimate tools that are always there in the lab. The people behind those samples often have their own thoughts and feelings about what should happen to their tissues, but they’re usually left out of the equation."
The next time someone feels an emotional attachment to the million skin cells they shed everyday, then we have a topic for discussion.
Until then, I wouldn't waste my time on a book or sympathize with the relatives for not being compensated. Most of them are probably alive from the groundbreaking research and hardwork from scientists towards which they did NOT contribute.
1 comment:
I'm back. :-)
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