Frankenstein Exhibit at UAB's Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences

Updated on January 7, 2004 at 11:52 a.m.

Can a monster from the past help scientists of the future find direction? The scientific buzzwords of the young 21st century include cloning, genetic engineering and gene manipulation, buzzwords that raise troubling questions about ethics and the very the nature of humanity. The ability to create life in a laboratory was science fiction in 1818 when Mary Shelley wrote the classic novel Frankenstein. Now, that prospect looms on the near horizon, tantalizing to some and disturbing to others.

The Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) will host a traveling exhibition, “Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature,” beginning January 21, 2004. The exhibit, organized by the National Library of Medicine and the American Library Association, focuses on the monster of Mary Shelley’s novel and the Hollywood versions that came later, providing an intriguing catalyst for discussions about medical responsibility, scientific experimentation and the nature of life itself.

The exhibit and accompanying film series of Frankenstein movies looks at the monster that for years has been a symbol of fears that scientific advancement can move too fast and too far. Even today, the term ‘Frankenstein’ is often used in invoke the concept of irresponsible or even immoral science.

“Shelley’s monster was a sensitive, articulate and lonely creature who was denied companionship and rejected by humans,” says Stefanie Rookis, curator of the museum. “He lashes out in revenge only when he is betrayed and abandoned by his maker. But playwrights, filmmaker and the media have over the past two centuries transformed Shelley’s sympathetic creature into a speechless being who kills without remorse.”

For information about associated seminars, lectures, and events: www.uab.edu/historical/frankenstein.htm