Raising the Dead: The Men Who Created Frankenstein

by Andy Dougan

A “pleasingly ghoulish” look at the real-life Dr. Frankensteins of the nineteenth century and their legacy in modern medicine (Telegraph).   Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein, introduced readers to the concept of raising the dead through scientific procedures. Those who read the book were thrilled by this incredible Gothic adventure. Few, however, realized that Shelley’s story had a basis in fact.   Her modern Prometheus was a serious pursuit for some of the greatest minds of the early nineteenth century. It was a time when scientists genuinely believed, as Frankenstein did, that they could know what it feels like to be God. Raising the Dead is the story of the science of galvanism—named after the Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, who had conducted the original experiments—a movement that investigated the theory of “animal electricity,” a unifying vital spirit that animates us all, with leaders who believed that they stood on the brink of immortality.   While they ultimately failed in this challenge, their studies mapped out the nervous system and made valuable and enduring contributions to medical knowledge and understanding—from theorizing the concepts of the modern-day defibrillator to the use of deep brain stimulus to treat personality disorders to experimental procedures using microchip-controlled devices to bridge damaged spinal nerves. This “excellent, highly readable history” tells their stories (Herald).

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Medicine, Medical, History Of Science

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Mark Kenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Een of andere oen had in 1818 de defibrillator eigenlijk al uitgevonden maar 'vergat' zijn idee te testen dus duurde het tot 1932 (!) tot dat ding werd uitgevonden. Verder niks onthouden dus na dit feitje heb je alles wat je nodig hebt en hoef je deze niet meer te loggen. Kun jij gewoon lekker nog een doktersromannetje open slaan!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is interesting in some parts but hard work overall.
The book is seriously lacking in focus. Essentially, it's a history of galvanism. But we also get far too much detail about one of the corpses used for experiment - who he was, his crime, who saw it, who didn't see it, thumbnail sketches of his lawyer and his gaoler, how many soldiers at the hanging - it just goes on. There are similar tedious details about buildings and spaces in Glasgow at the time.
As we move through history, we get more unnecessary details about the various personalities involved.
I imagine the author intended to bring the period to life and add colour, but it didn't work for me.
Worst of all are the clumsy connections made with the book Frankenstein.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for personal research. I found this work of immense interest and a great window into the era's fiction-based works dealing with the same subject matter.
I found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.
Overall, this work is also a good resource for the researcher and enthusiast.

[Eli · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only review i will probably ever write but i spent all night reading this and i had expectations for this book that were let down

I just thought it'd be better than it was and i was wrong

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really interesting trip through science. It started with the trying to bring the dead back to life be it people or animals and how this all changed into a mad science upon the arrival of Frankenstein's creature. It was interesting hearing of the gallows and hangings (how family could pull the feet of a loved one to help them die quicker) as well as how the personal scandals of the scientists got in the way of their theories being accepted. The book rounds off with the modern medicine we use and how it came from these inventive men including the defib, electro therapy and how work inspired and influences the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
The book also has some beautiful illustrations of the original experiments.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book starts off in a promising & educational way, luring the reader into thinking that they’ll discover ‘human experimentation’ but rather goes off track, ending up detailing the discovery of electricity & its effects on the medical profession. Interesting but not quite as the blurb describes.

[Crista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a few others who have reviewed this book, I read it though and felt like it didn't meet my expectations. It took a while for me to put a finger on why, exactly. Everything about the cover and premise outlines it as if it is going to be an exploration of the individuals who influenced Mary Shelly's writing, but the actual text covers the history of galvanism. There's no definitive conclusions drawn, or any real direct links established, between Mary Shelly and any of the time's scientists focusing on galvanism, which is a little disappointing. Instead, the author is emphasizing the science at work at the time, which is interesting! But a little misleading, considering what I thought I was getting into.

That being said, this comes across as a very well-researched book; it balances the dramatics of some truly wild characters active at the time with the cut-and-dry science that was the driving force of their actions. At times the text can be a bit dry, but if you're the analytical, mechanical type, I think this will be something that is a pretty easy read for you. There's a nice section with pictures if you're the visual type, but nothing too graphic, if you're squeamish. There's also a surprising amount of personal drama that the author enjoys sharing, which keeps the text from dragging.

While the subject of this book isn't something that is generally on my radar, I learned a lot about galvanism and how it has translated into modern medicine. It was an interesting read overall, and I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who has a morbid curiosity about electricity's impact on medicine.

[Alex H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I had very little expectations of the contents, and picked it up on a whim, mostly due to interest in romantic era science and gothic fiction.
The book might appear to lack "focus" as other reviews have stated, but I found the subjects to be interesting and relevant to the discussion of early electrical science. Every new figure and event mentioned either added to the historical context, or the feelings of discovery and excitement one must have had while living through the time period. I enjoyed reading about early crime proceedings, medical drama, and wild theories and experiments along the way, and found my interest being guided by the author successfully. I was pleasantly surprised when previously mentioned people and experiments were called back to later in the book, and helped build and understanding of the larger web of the scientific community in the 19th century.

My one expectation, about the book's relation to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, was admittedly let down. Shelley is only mentioned two-thirds through the book, and is not given much sole focus, most always being mentioned in the same sentence as her husband. I think a lot more could have been written about Mary Shelley, and her individually, without perceived influence from the men around her.
This point and quite a few grammer issues, that could've been caught easily, lowered my experience, but overall I still enjoyed reading and learning quite a lot.

[Aj Sterkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a medical history nonfiction book about the science of galvanism. "Galvanism" seems to be a fancy name for "electrocuting corpses and watching them twitch." In the early 1800s, scientists believed that electricity could cure diseases and possibly even raise the dead. They were somewhat correct. This book is about their (often gruesome) experiments.

If you're interested in the history of medicine, then the information in this book is fascinating. I loved learning about Scotland in the 1800s. I enjoyed the stories of the doctors and the executed criminals who made scientific advancements. It's interesting to learn about the missteps, the quackery, and the animal cruelty. I read most of the book in one night because it's compelling.

However, it seriously lacks focus. I suspect there aren't enough historical records about galvanism to create an entire book. The author goes deep into the personal lives of the doctors and the recently dead criminals they used in their experiments. The analysis of Mery Shelley's Frankenstein seems a bit random because the real-life doctors weren't attempting to create new life. They were trying to create defibrillators, which is much less scandalous. While I was reading, I often wished the author would stop meandering and get to the point.

If you can overlook the misleading title and quite a few typos, this is an informative read. I learned a lot.

[Dave Appleby · Rating 4 out of 5]

A history focused on the medics and scientists who tried to reanimate dead people using electricity, both before and after the publication of Frankenstein. This book focuses particularly on the work of Andrew Ure, a Glaswegian anatomist, who experimented on the newly-hanged cadaver of condemned murdered Matthew Clydesdale in November 1819, months after the publication of Mary Shelley's novel, but it also looks at previous work, for example by Galvani and his nephew Aldini, both of whom believed in 'animal electricity', and by Mary Shelley's husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who was an amateur electrical experimenter and a believer in Paracelsus and a follower of the work of Humphrey Davy, who invented electrolysis. Gruesome as it was, this work has led to the invention of the defibrillator.

For me there was too much emphasis on the Ure-Clydesdale experiment (we have a full description of the murder and the trial) and not enough on the science, but the later chapters contained plenty of interest.

[Emma Whaley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually can’t believe a real publisher would take this on. The subject matter is super interesting, don’t get me wrong (the people leaving bad reviews because it’s “not actually about someone creating a real Frankenstein” need to do more critical thinking). I just can’t believe that something this poorly written and edited got published. I’ve never read a book with this many grammar issues.

And hey, why are we discounting Mary Shelley in this book about Frankenstein and galvinism? Every time he talks about Shelley, he means Percy. It’s all about his scientific and academic interests, as though the actual author of the book had no knowledge of galvinism whatsoever, like because she’s a woman she had to have gotten all her knowledge from her husband and couldn’t possibly have been interested in it on her own.

[Lexie Conyngham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book on the scientific background – and context – to Mary Shelley’s Modern Prometheus. Very much Glasgow-orientated, this looks at the experiments in resuscitation that took place in the early 19th century, focussing on the apparent revival of one victim of execution and the experiments carried out on his body in Glasgow in 1818. Let down by the editing (I’m surprised at Birlinn: one sentence repeated in two places in one paragraph, plus lots of typos), this is a thoroughly researched but very readable account of the time – I read most of it in one sitting.

[Andrew Garvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially, an interesting, short history of galvanism for the general reader with chapter-long digressions about related subjects like Mary Shelley's classic work and the criminal history of one of the 'participants' in a famous experiment. The scientific history is well-explained and clear but perhaps the most memorable parts of the book are on the behaviour of some of the outright mad scientists like Andrew Ure (this book's main character who goes from eccentric shownan to someone even today's Conservative party would consider a wrong 'un) or deranged kitten-killer Karl August Weinhold.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to read up on the different practitioners that experimented with galvanism. I had always assumed that their main motivations were of a ghoulish nature and somewhat ego driven. But I was wrong. They did seem to have a genuine desire to help people (victims of drowning etc) and it has led to some fantastic medical discoveries such as ECT for seizures and mental disorders. An intriguing read.

[Justin Sisk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a fun read if the reader wishes to engage with medical practices involving galvanism and dissection during the 1800’s. However, I feel that the author does fall down some rabbit holes, including very detailed accounts that may not have entirely been on topic. Also, the lack of comma usage after conditional phrases was a bit infuriating. Overall, it is a fun read that is not as academically rigorous as it could be.

[Maggie Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read about the scientific discoveries around electrical stimulation of nerves, including descriptions of experiments carried out, and the ethical considerations or lack thereof, during this process. In some areas I felt it could have been more succinct. Title misleading, most research was aimed more specifically at resuscitation.
My copy had some typing errors.

[Erika Skarlupka · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is misleading. It's mostly a scientific history of galvanism. There are tangents into scientists personal lives that dont have much bearing on the scientific discovery, but they are kind of interesting. Frankenstein and his monster make only a brief appearance. Overall interesting, just not what the title leads you to believe.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I imagined it to be when I read the back, it's more of a history of the discovery of Electricity's effects on the body. However it's a fascinating insight into the expansion of scientific minds throughout the years.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read for the researcher, enthusiast, and others interested in this avenue of history. I read it for personal historic reference and was not disappointed. The experiments performed are interesting to say the least.
Happy reading!

[Rowena Andrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of this book, but I found that what I got was very different. It was also let down by execution and editing, and it feels like the interesting information got lost a lot as a result, and it turned into a bit of slog to finish.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know how to rate this as the title doesn’t fit the story. The information is engaging and informative but nothing like I expected. Still worth taking a day to read and educating yourself on some of the medical history and experimentation surrounding immortality.

[Susannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are interested in Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, or the history of scientific inquiry regarding nerve impulses, you’d probably like this. It reads like a book-length New Yorker article (Annals of Medicine), so while well written and interesting, it’s “a bit much.”

[Ciara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The start was interesting but I couldn't finish it

[Barbara Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

What might have made a marginally interesting article has been overextended into a badly organised book in need of serious editing!

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promises, fails to deliver. Can't bring myself to shelf it 'non-fiction'.

[Munaya Al salhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s was ok and interesting and it shed a POV on the idea of rising the dead came from and all.

[Jinjer]

Heard about it here: https://ajsterkel.blogspot.com/2023/1...

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a disconnect between title and the ultimate subject matter. Those with an interest in galvanizing will find this more interesting than I did, I’m sure.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like Frankenstein, this isn’t as satisfying as it sounds.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful history grave robbing and experiments on the executed. It is not as dark as that sounds but it clearly influenced society of the time. There are actual mad scientists in this book along with mostly serious researchers. Good history of surgery and electricity treatments.
Also good context that Percy Shelly was obsessed with electricity performing experiments while with Mary Shelly( she added plenty of her own personality to the story obviously) but I had never heard that fact.