Influence Shelley's story had on society's perception of science explored by National Medical Library

Web posted Oct. 30 at 02:08 AM
 
 
 

Associated Press

Writer Mary Shelley's classic tale of a scientist obsessed with creating life has captured imaginations for nearly two centuries. Shelley's monster, who was able to think and feel, turned into a savage killer after he was spurned by ``humankind,'' including the scientist who created him.

 How the Frankenstein story has helped to shape the perception of science - and scientists - is the subject of a new exhibit that opens Friday at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Md.

 Shelley sketched her monster from a dream. But she turned to the work of some of the top European thinkers and scientists of the time to flesh out the details. The monster, created by scientist Victor Frankenstein, taught himself to read and favored Plutarch and Goethe. He spoke eloquently.

 To describe his ``birth,'' medical historians believe Shelley drew upon reported tales of bizarre births as well as the scientific practices of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It is this compelling tale of a grotesque but intelligent monster, created in secret by a ``mad'' scientist, that ``is both timely and timeless,'' said Donald A.B. Lindberg, director of the National Library of Medicine.

 In an era when scientists are exploring the human genome, experimenting with inter-species organ transplants, cloning sheep and discovering the Ebola virus and other deadly new microbes, the Frankenstein myth is a catalyst for exploring ``some of the fundamental questions of all time,'' Mr. Lindberg said. ``Why has the public at times feared science? Have changes in communication technology made the public feel close to the center of decision-making regarding science policy? If so, has this allayed their fear of science?''

 As a celebration of Shelley's 200th birthday, the exhibit traces the image of Frankenstein in popular culture. The original monster is a tragic creature who searches in vain for human companionship.

 ``This monster is ugly because he is poorly made, but he starts out friendly and wants to find love,'' said Elizabeth Fee, chief of the library's History of Medicine Division. ``It is only the social reaction to him that turns him against people, a message that is important for today.''

 Far more familiar is the celluloid monster created by Hollywood in the 1930s, a time when there was growing interest in examining the boundaries between life and death. This Frankenstein - a grotesque, horrifying character played by actor Boris Karloff in such films as Son of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein - was the product of a terrible human error in which he received the brain of a convicted killer.

 The exhibit also features a more modern Frankenstein, the monster of the Mel Brooks comedy movie Young Frankenstein, and includes an article from The Washington Post published earlier this year in which a person on the street is told that scientists have just cloned a sheep and responds, ``Why, it's like Frankenstein all over again.''

 To medical historians, Frankenstein ``remains a way for us to express concerns about the power of medical science and the fears that we have about what it can do as we approach the 21st century,'' said Susan E. Lederer, associate professor of humanities at the Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine and a guest curator of the exhibit.

 Only a privileged few had access to medical and scientific knowledge in Shelley's day. Today, modern media and the World Wide Web provide nearly unlimited access to it.

 ``The challenge is how to navigate this ocean of information to educate ourselves about new developments in biomedical science in order to make responsible decisions,'' Dr. Lederer said.

 The Frankenstein story remains a metaphor for the tension that sometimes arises between science and society. ``Whether it's helping people to live beyond 100 or using animal parts in bodies, oftentimes scientists are pushing the envelope of knowledge,'' Dr. Lederer said. ``There is sometimes considerable public reluctance about the power of their discoveries. Frankenstein enables us to think about what are the boundaries of acceptable science, what are the responsibilities of the public in reacting to or supporting novel medical investigations or discoveries.''

 As Mary Shelley wrote, knowledge must be used ``as a weapon to defeat evil, by leading mankind beyond the state where they are sinless through ignorance, to that in which they are virtuous by wisdom.''