Henrietta Lacks

24 x 36

Who is Henrietta Lacks?

In 1943, Henrietta Lacks and her family moved to Turner Station from Clover, VA in search of employment opportunities at Sparrows Point where there was work in the steel mills of Bethlehem Steel and the shipyards. In 1951, Mrs. Lacks was diagnosed with an aggressive strain of cervical cancer. Her physician, Dr. William C. Wade of Turner Station referred her to the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was 31 years old, when she died in October 1951, but her cells lived on to create cures and treatments for every major medical condition known to humankind. After her death, a lab attendant discovered that the HeLa cells were growing. Led by Dr. George Gey, this marked the first instance of growth of human cells outside the body. The HeLa cells would go on to transform modern medicine.




One of the more immediate results was the development of the Polio vaccine. According to a Life Script article, in 1916, a polio epidemic killed over 6,000 people in the US and paralyzed 27,000 more. After the vaccination began in 1955, the number of dead dropped to about 3,000 in 1960, and to about 10 in 1979 (Polio Vaccine). This led to Polios virtual elimination world-wide.




To date, her family has received no significant compensation from Johns Hopkins or the pharmaceutical companies that earned billions from the sale of drugs developed with her cells.




Go to http://www.hlacks.com/ or click on the logo for more information.







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Artist Bio:

David Lowell Horst is a self-taught artist. Upon meeting his wife in eastern Pennsylvania, he developed an interest in expressing his vision of African and African American cultures. He believes there is a need to exhibit pieces with the dignity and respect that the culture deserves.

His natural panache for colors and humanistic possibilities is expressed vividly in his studies of African and African American life. His works explore the past and present of African/African American life and culture. The bold colors he uses proclaim the vitality of his subjects.

He vacillates between defined and non-defined facial features in his work. The non-defined features he attributes to an "every man" motif. The defined facial features speak to a specificity of experience.

David is married and has 3 children. He currently resides in Baltimore, MD where he paints the urban landscapes of celebration and loss.





I give Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior all the Glory, Honor and Praise for his works through me and I dedicate this site to the woman in my life who inspires me to paint.

My wife,

Dr. Adele Newson-Horst







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Contact me via e-mail: davidhorst1955@gmail.com

Write: David L. Horst, Baltimore, MD

Phone:(920)203-6386




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