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Medical Ethics piece

This medical ethics piece was definitely a difficult piece. Based on the moral debate of HeLa cells, it is visualization of the ongoing struggle of her legacy. Before this piece, I had no idea what HeLa cells were, or the medical advancements made by her "donation" to science. In summary, HeLa cells were the first harvested human cells that could survive outside the human body  in a science lab through testing. Because of their extraordinary ability to survive, medical tests performed on these cells gave rise to innumerable scientific discoveries and provided cures and medicine. The story in this work begins in the top right corner with the structure of a woman whose bottom half is a network of branches, providing a representation of Henrietta Lax, the woman whose cervical cells became known as HeLa cells. To the left, a visual representation of the many scientists and tests that were involved is pictured. Below, Henrietta Lax's family members are visualized in their suffering. They received absolutely no financial compensation or medical support from the donation of the HeLa cells. The colors used, blue for the medical community represents their embodied coldness. The red color in the statue represents the arguments over the moral issue of Henrietta's unknowing donation. Her family members are colored in fading gray tones that show how they were forgotten or pushed aside from the medical community. I think this is a pretty effective piece in that the color representation is how I desired it to be, and I think the story is pretty clear.

Directional force, Motion, Time, Text