As a science teacher and chemist, I always believed that I was objective and would not be trapped into foolish, racist beliefs that separated human beings based on social politics. Never had I learned about how science was used to justify and treat people so appallingly. It saddens me to have not learned this earlier and makes me question what other beliefs I have about myself that need more information. I was not just a white exceptionist but a scientific exceptionist who use to believe that observational truths guided science. I am saddened to learned that social constructs and implicit bias seem to influence the scientific 'discoveries' more than evidence.
Jennifer, I highly recommend the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Henrietta was a black woman with cervical cancer in the late 1940s/early 1950s. Doctors at Johns Hopkins took advantage of her lack of education to not only provide outdated, painful treatment, but also took samples of her cancer cells without her consent. Those cells were propagated, shared, and sold worldwide in the name of research—all without the knowledge or consent of anyone in the Lacks family. Her cells, called HeLa cells, are the basis for 90% of biomedical research, because they were the first to be successfully propagated, and are extremely easy to work with. Her case became the basis of informed consent as we know it today, and the reason you must sign a release before any medical procedure in a research hospital or participation in a medical study.
Thank you so much for the reference. I was able to borrow this book from a work friend so this touch of knowledge will be used.
An excellent book. Highly recommend.