Raising the Dead: The Men Who Created Frankenstein [Paperback]

 

 

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I couldn't put this book down! It was packed full of information, but was written in an easy manner, making it compelling reading.

In truth, the author padded the book out quite a lot by going into a lot of details of subjects not directly related to the title, such as the history and background of public execution in Glasgow, but he did it so well, that it didn't detract at all from my enjoyment of the book.

A little gruesome in parts, so not really for the squeamish, but very well recommended.

This is a well-researched tome on several disparate subjects, which ultimataly fail to gel into a cohesive reference. It is an informative study of the birth and evolution of galvanism - the study of electric charge on nature. It is also an effectively descriptive account of the public dissection of Matthew Clydesdale following his trial for murder in 1818 in Glasgow.

The structure of Raising the Dead is a familiar one of interspersing two threads of research, and a resulting attempt to draw them together at a key point in history, but for a book that makes no qualms about declaring itself as the reasoning or motive behind Mary Shelley's novel, it is ultimately a disappointment.

The first 73 pages focus clearly on Clydesdale's trial, verdict, hanging and public dissection. Clear and detailed synopses of the characters involved in both judging, execution and post-mortem surgical shenanigans are wrapped up everso slightly in the sensationalism that the book eventually exposes in the form of Peter Mackenzie's belated account of the 'jumping corpse'. Unfortunately, the public dissection of Matthew Clydesdale was, of course, a relatively benign affair where a demonstration of galvansim to promote limb twitching in a cadaver. There are no attempts to cover this up by Andy, however, the sensationalist view is covered first at length - and followed up, almost as a footnote by the prevailing view that Mackenzies account is undeniably false.

The references to Frankenstein, and in particular, the possible effects of contemporary reseach into reanimation on Peter Shelley, combined with a potted background of the lives of both Frankenstein's authoress and husband is the undoubted highlight of the book. The brevity of this section is, in my opinion, inexcusable due to the book's reliance on this association, both on the front cover and the third-edition extract from Shelley's novel that prefaces the first chapter. What is there is excellent; the Shelleys' association with Byron (and Byron's relationship with Mary's stepsister), the holiday in Switzerland and the ad hoc competition amongst friends that would eventually give rise to the masterpiece.

What Andy Dougan fails to do, I felt, was to provide any seamless connection between the contemporary research into Galvanism and neurology and the inspiration for Shelley's novel. In effect, this is neatly explained in a single chapter - the remaining content may be better suited as a separate libre entitled "A History of Galvansim Throughout the Ages". As such, although interesting, the book felt fragmented and with a lack of identity, unsure of whether it was supposed to be a character analysis of the protagonists of 'electrical cure', a foray into the world of post-mortem reanimation or a hint at the world in which Frankenstein was crafted.

Unfortunately, a lot of writers on this subject also associate Clydesdale's surgery with the birth of Frankenstein. At least Andy Dougan reports correctly that the direct association between electrical charge and the awakening of Victor's monster does not occur until the single-volume third edition of the book.

Another area that could (and should) have been expanded on is the influence of reanimation research on modern-day medicine; references to Deep Brain Stimulation and, of course, Lown's defibrillator are covered well, but more information about related fields (the bizarre experimentation covered in 1950's America involving the transplant of major physiology, specific cases of reanimation against all odds, reanimation following cryogenic suspension etc.) would enlighten the reader to the aftermath of the book's core research. This could be done in a way that doesn't require a 'freak show' literacy, and would help to cement the book as an all-encompassing review of one aspect of reanimation throughout history.

If you want an easy-to-follow account of Galvanism throughout history, you could do a lot worse than this. If you're after an account of the Clydesdale dissection, I'd certainly recommend it. If, however, you're after a detailed insight on the driving force behind the Shelley novel, this book will ultimately dissappoint.

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