15 Most Disturbing Experiments in Human History

12. Henrietta Lacks

Henrietta Lacks was a poor, uneducated African American woman who perished from cervical cancer in 1951. Before she died, doctors attending to her ailments took cervical samples from Lacks without her knowledge. These cells proved to be far more durable than any other samples. Where most cells die in a short few days, Lacks’ cells have much more staying power, a unique trait that made for revolutionary advancements in the treatment of polio, cancer, and HIV. Here’s the disturbing part: neither Lacks nor her family was compensated for more than 50 years, despite her significant contributions to medical science.