University of Arizona Health Sciences Library Hosts NLM’s “Frankenstein” Traveling Exhibit!

Posted by Alan Carr on November 15th, 2018 Posted in: Advocacy, NLM Products, Outreach, Public Health

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by Annabelle Nuñez, M.A.
Associate Director, University of Arizona Health Sciences Library
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

The University of Arizona Health Sciences Library (UAHSL) is hosting the National Library of Medicine’s traveling exhibit, Frankenstein: Penetrating the Secrets of Nature. On display are six, freestanding graphic panels that discuss the intersection of the medical advances of the time, and the exploration of what it means to be human. Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, provides the framework for the material discussed on the panels. They include information about her life and the events that inspired her desire to write the novel. A range of literature in history, mythology, philosophy, chemistry, and so much more influenced her writing. Her social network of friends and her lover, Percy Bysshe Shelley, whom she later married, also provided the intellectual stimulus for her work. Frankenstein reflected the interest of some physicians exploring facets of life and death through medically based investigations of the times in a quest to understand “the secrets of nature.”

This exhibition was developed and produced by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. It is on display in the library’s lobby until December 1, 2018. You can visit the online exhibit where you will find additional digital content