They were truly \u201cimmortal\u201d\u2014properly cultured, HeLa cells would grow indefinitely<\/strong>.
<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe discovery of HeLa came at an important time in the history of cell science. Five years before Henrietta\u2019s cancer cells thrived in Gey\u2019s laboratory, a scandal had come to light involving a Nobel Prize\u2013winning French surgeon named Alexis Carrel.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alexis Carrel: Nobel Work and Immortal Cells<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Although Carrel had won his Nobel for inventing a technique for suturing blood vessels, his notoriety was largely due to his breakthrough in the field of cell culture: He\u2019d managed to maintain living chicken-heart cells in his laboratory.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This feat was greeted with all sorts of hyperbole: that Carrel had found the fountain of youth, that cell culture would lead humans to uncover the secrets to artistic and scientific genius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, as it turned out, he was a charlatan. After he died in 1944 awaiting trial for collaborating with the Nazis, it was discovered that his \u201cimmortal\u201d chicken heart wasn\u2019t immortal at all: The original chicken-heart tissue had likely died within days, and Carrel\u2019s culture medium, which itself contained chicken-heart tissues, gave the culture the appearance <\/em>of everlasting cells<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nDr. Alexis Carrel’s Controversial Views<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Carrel himself, however, wasn\u2019t much interested in the advancement of all humanity. He was a eugenicist and Nazi sympathizer, and he believed his work with cells would allow whites to outlive inferior peoples.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was also an eccentric who, despite his scientific acumen, entertained mystical and occult beliefs. He thought telepathy and clairvoyance were real; and he turned his apartment into a house of worship, where he would give sermons on medical miracles.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Comparison to HeLa Cells<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
HeLa cells, on the contrary, were the genuine article. Once Gey made his discovery, he began sending the cells to any cancer researcher who asked for them. In short order, Henrietta\u2019s cells reached scientists in Asia, Europe, and South America<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What did Dr. Alexis Carrel win a Nobel Prize for? What was controversial about his other work and breakthroughs? Did Carrel really find the fountain of youth? Alexis Carrel was a scientist that invented a blood vessel suture technique that he won a Nobel for. Carrel also claimed to have cultured immortal cells in his lab, which turned out to be false. Read about Alexis Carrel, Nobel award work, and his Nazi sympathies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":12075,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,39,33],"tags":[111],"class_list":["post-11999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-history","category-people","tag-the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\n
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