The Way of All Flesh by Adam Curtis

In 1998, Modern Times: The Way of All Flesh, a BBC documentary on Lacks & HeLa directed by Adam Curtis, won the Best Science & Nature Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

Summary of First Book Chat Feb 9th, 2012

Worldview matters:

Some of you wondered if Skloot had consulted African Americans for critiques before the book was published.  There seem to be instances when Skloot’s voice, instead of that of the impartial observer, seeped into her narrative. Although Skloot claims that all of the members of the Lacks’ family read the book before its publication some of you took issue with what seemed Skloot’s stereotypical assumptions:

            “ I don’t know what I expected the former hospital for the Negro Insane to look like, but it certainly wasn’t what we found. Crownsville Hospital Center was on a sprawling 1,200 –acre campus, with bright green hills, perfectly mowed lawns, walking paths, weeping cherry trees, and picnic tables. Its main building was red brick with white columns, its porch decorated with wide chairs and chandeliers. It looked like a nice place to sip mint juleps or sweet tea”(269).

Did Skloot distract from the real issues of social disparities and injustice or did she sensationalize? Is poverty fetishized?

Doctor-patient communication:

Henrietta had complained to doctors for months of “discomfort” and “pain.”  She continued to be sent home and declared healthy. Eventually, a more careful examination and an x-ray revealed a “stony hard” mass that was inoperable. Skloot argues that in 1951, “segregation was law” and therefore black people did not question white people’s professional judgment and were grateful to be just getting treatment. The discussion group wondered if this was still true today. With the advent of the information age, the majority of us have become more assertive and informed patients, maybe to the extreme of self-diagnosing. But, according to many of the MORE students, there is still a gap, whether it is, cultural, economic or educational that prevents patients from being their own advocates. Unfortunately, we discovered that in many instances, like Henrietta, it is women who bear the bulk of this inequality. In addition, students wondered if doctors today have the patients' best interest in mind. Sometimes, it is easy to be skeptical when it seems health insurance quotas drive doctors and the order of the day is quantity over quality.

Finally, we ended with a more esoteric question. What is Life? This entails the implications of tissue rights and other bioethical considerations, concerning the scientists' actions. Did they act irresponsibly with the Lacks’ family in their pursuit of scientific breakthroughs? Hopefully, we can pick up with these controversial issues in our next discussion. Disclaimer: this is by far not an exhaustive summary of everything we talked about. So, if I missed anything that you think was important, (i.e. Is Baltimore a safe city to go and study? :)) please add it to the blog or expand on something that touched your fancy. Thank you to Dr. Foster, for moderating the discussion and to Christina Sheldon for heading the One Campus, One Book program. Also, this book chat would not be possible if it were not for the insightful participation of the MORE program participants: Jessica Cisneros, Bertha Martin, Jazma Tapia, Diane Rico, Brenda Andrade, Angela Guerrero and Sarah Gao.

Happy Writing Everyone!