Henrietta Lacks (August 18 (?) 1920 - October 4 1951) died of cervical cancer in 1951, at the age of 31. Cells taken from her tumor were cultured by Dr. George Gey to create a cell line for medical research, known as the HeLa cell line.
Since then, the HeLa cell line has been effectively immortal. It has been used in a large number of medical experiments, and has contributed greatly to human understanding of disease processes.
There is considerable controversy relating to the use of Henrietta Lacks' cells for research without her permission, and movements towards giving her reconition as an unwitting contributor towards medical research.
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