Who is Frankenstein, probably everyone knows. Everyone heard a terrible, chilling story about a scientist obsessed with the idea of victory over death. According to the scientist who went to the cemetery at night and dug up graves in search of a fresh corpse. And then, hiding from everyone in his gloomy laboratory, he carried out monstrous studies on the corpses. And then one day a scientist succeeds: his dead creature comes to life. And then - the terrible consequences of this experiment, on which Frankenstein worked so hard.
A photo with images of a monster with a bolt in his head, films of the same name, a literary masterpiece - all this has long been familiar to us. But still one question haunts. Who is Frankenstein really? Could it really exist or is it just someone’s invention?
Writer's fantasy or scientific fact
It is hard to believe, but this sinister romance was composed by a very young girl - eighteen-year-old writer Mary Shelley. It was written in 1816. But, as it turned out, Dr. Frankenstein is not just the imagination of a young writer. This sinister story has very real roots, and the image of the scientist has very specific prototypes.
At that time, in the 17-18th centuries, scientific discoveries were made that called into question the long-established foundations of society and the church. Electricity was invented, thanks to which society reached a higher level of development. And the scientists of that time thought that with the help of electricity absolutely everything is possible. Even immortality.
It was scientific and technological progress that became the inspiration for the young Mary Shelley. And at the head of this scientific progress were very real concrete individuals.
So who is Frankenstein really?
Luigi Galvani
The scientist was fascinated by lightning and static electricity. In his scientific works, he came to the conclusion that animal electricity is not like that produced by machines. And then the scientist set about the idea of raising the dead. He began to conduct experiments on frogs, passing current through them. Then horses, cows, dogs and even people went into the process.
Giovanni Aldini
This is the nephew of Galvani, who became widely known for his monstrous experiences and ideas. Thanks to him, galvanism came into fashion. Giovanni traveled throughout Europe and demonstrated to everyone his experiments in the "revitalization of bodies."
Andrew ur
This Scottish scientist is also known for his shocking views. His “wards” moved various parts of the body, made terrible grimaces and could even point a finger at the spectator, frightened to death. Andrew claimed that until the resurrection he had nothing left, and soon he would turn the whole world upside down. But, unfortunately or fortunately, this did not happen.
Conrad Dippel
That's who Frankenstein is, Mr. Dippel. Everyone in the district considered him a real sorcerer and alchemist. He lived in an old secluded and sinister castle. And this castle was nicknamed "Boer Frankenstein." There were rumors among the locals that at night Conrad went to the local cemetery and dug up the corpses for his experiments.
I wonder what would happen if one of the scientists managed to “revive” the deceased? But this, as we all know, did not happen. Nevertheless, their experiments brought a lot of useful to modern medicine. For example, shock therapy is still being used to this day , which is very effective in many diseases, or a defibrillator that can really bring you back to life.