University of Ingolstadt
The University of Ingolstadt was opened on 26 July 1472 under the patronage
of the Duke of Bavaria, Ludwig the Wealthy. For centuries its various
faculties -- humanistic, scientific, theology, law, and medicine -- were
contained in the Hoheschule (High School).
By the end of the seventeenth century plans were elaborated for new
university buildings, but these were never realized. Nonetheless, during
the ensuing century the University was forced to expand. In 1760 George Ludwig Claudius
Rousseau was appointed demonstrator of Chemistry, and in 1778 a separate laboratory was
constructed for him near the Hoheschule. Given the time scheme of
Frankenstein, it seems likely that Victor would have pursued his
studies in that location.
But Ingolstadt was also very well equipped to support Victor's more
elaborate scientific ambitions. From the first, the University possessed
a medical school of stature. In 1722 its faculty acquired a site
for a projected school that would incorporate an anatomy theater,
botanical garden, and chemistry laboratory, and construction was begun
early in 1723 though, for want
of money, it was not wholly finished until 1736. A major botanical garden was attached to the school
to support its experiments and treatments. By 1755 the demonstration hall in
the central atrium had been converted into a two-story anatomical
theater, with a dissecting table on the ground floor, a gallery for
student observers above, and a glass ceiling allowing overhead
illumination. In the later eighteenth century it was considered to be one
of the finest such theaters in Europe. Obviously, such a theater would
have had ample provision for the specimens required for teaching purposes
-- or for clandestine experimentation.
