Medical Advancement In Frankenstein

Straining for months in his laboratory, Victor Frankenstein set to achieve a single task: create human life from inanimate objects. He imagined a perfect being of “gigantic stature” (Shelley 32), who would better mankind; he sought for his new species to “bless [him] as its creator and source” (Shelley 32); he worked to “discover so astonishing a secret” (Shelley 31) of human life itself, unlocking the mystery of science. After years of ardently studying and preparing for his creation, Frankenstein finally brought the creature to life. Unfortunately, the monster he procured was unlike anything he could have predicted. The “beauty of his dream vanished” (Shelley 35) when the yellow-skinned, horrendous monster with dark, hollowed lineaments arose from the night to eventually destroy both Frankenstein’s sanity and family. Although Frankenstein had the correct intentions, he never foresaw the detriment his creation would cause. Similarly, today’s society faces similar unintended dangers as technology advances. Like Frankenstein’s creation, life-extending medical technology is meant to better society; unfortunately, it has resulted in some unforeseen consequences. In the past decade, medical advancements have emerged to slowly extend the human lifespan. Unmapping the human genome brought forth opportunities to delay aging while treatments for diseases such as cancer, heart attacks, and strokes have become more successful. Pacemakers, breathing machines, anti-aging drugs, and