Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature, by Susan Lederer

12/09/2002View on timeline


The organizers of a 1997 exhibition at the National Library of Medicine in Washington, D.C., wrote that the makers of the 1931 Frankenstein exploited a widespread belief in biological determinism “when they created a monster whose evil results from the lobes of his brain rather than his experiences or character” (Lederer 2002, 46).


Vidal, Fernando and Ortega, Francisco. Being Brains: Making the Cerebral Subject (Forms of Living)....

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About the book

As science penetrates the secrets of nature, with each discovery generating new questions, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein will sound its note of warning. Many scientific developments have provoked references to Frankenstein, a story that, for nearly two centuries, has gripped our imaginations and haunted our nightmares. How can society balance the benefits of medical discoveries against the ethical or spiritual questions posed?

Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature accompanies a traveling exhibit of the same name. This lavishly illustrated volume begins by highlighting Shelley's novel and the context in which she conceived it. It next focuses on the redefinition of the Frankenstein myth in popular culture. Here, the fate of the monster becomes a moral lesson illustrating the punishment for ambitious scientists who seek to usurp the place of God by creating life. The final section examines the continuing power of the Frankenstein story to articulate present-day concerns raised by new developments in biomedicine such as cloning and xenografting (the use of animal organs in human bodies), and the role scientists and citizens play in determining acceptable limits of scientific and medical advances. - Amazon

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Susan Lederer, PhD, is Robert Turell Professor of Medical History and Bioethics at the School of Med...

Susan Lederer's profile at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Science Pub RVA: Philanthropy of the Body

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Published in 7/03/2019

Updated in 19/02/2021

All events in the topic Chap. 4: Brains on Screen:


01/01/1931 (Circa)FrankensteinFrankenstein
05/12/1931The New York Times' review of FrankensteinThe New York Times' review of Frankenstein
01/01/1935 (Circa)Bride of FrankensteinBride of Frankenstein
01/01/1942 (Circa)Ghost of FrankensteinGhost of Frankenstein
01/01/1974 (Circa)Young FrankensteinYoung Frankenstein
01/01/1969 (Circa)Frankenstein Must Be DestroyedFrankenstein Must Be Destroyed
01/01/1970 (Circa)01/01/2019 (Circa)From brain transplantation to managing neural information
01/01/1990 (Circa)Heart ConditionHeart Condition
01/01/1999 (Circa)HeartHeart
01/01/1969 (Circa)La Horripilante Bestia HumanaLa Horripilante Bestia Humana
01/01/1924 (Circa)01/01/1960 (Circa)Movie adaptations of Orlac's HandsMovie adaptations of Orlac's Hands
01/01/1962 (Circa)01/01/1964 (Circa)The Addams FamilyThe Addams Family
01/01/1946 (Circa)The Beast with Five FingersThe Beast with Five Fingers
01/01/1965 (Circa)Dr. Terror’s House of HorrorsDr. Terror’s House of Horrors
01/01/1981 (Circa)The HandThe Hand
01/01/1991 (Circa)Body PartsBody Parts
01/01/1959 (Circa)The Brain That Wouldn't DieThe Brain That Wouldn't Die
01/01/1984 (Circa)Professor Dowell's TestamentProfessor Dowell's Testament
01/01/1996 (Circa)Cold LazarusCold Lazarus
01/01/1940 (Circa)01/01/1970 (Circa)Ectobrains in B-moviesEctobrains in B-movies
01/01/1936 (Circa)The Man Who Changed His MindThe Man Who Changed His Mind
01/01/1969 (Circa)Change of MindChange of Mind
01/01/1971 (Circa)L'homme au cerveau grefféL'homme au cerveau greffé
01/01/1980 (Circa)Memory moviesMemory movies
01/01/1962 (Circa)The Manchurian CandidateThe Manchurian Candidate
01/01/1990 (Circa)Total RecallTotal Recall
01/01/2006 (Circa)Magdalena's BrainMagdalena's Brain
01/01/1998 (Circa)Dark CityDark City
01/01/1982 (Circa)Blade RunnerBlade Runner
01/01/1995 (Circa)Johnny MnemonicJohnny Mnemonic
01/01/1995 (Circa)Strange DaysStrange Days
01/01/1932Remembering, by Frederic BartlettRemembering, by Frederic Bartlett
01/01/2004 (Circa)Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindEternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
01/01/2003 (Circa)PaycheckPaycheck
01/01/1977 (Circa)Flashbulb Memories, by Brown and KulikFlashbulb Memories, by Brown and Kulik
21/02/2013Speak, Memory by Oliver SacksSpeak, Memory by Oliver Sacks