H G Wells

Illustrated The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells H G Wells

The Island of Doctor Moreau was written at a time when vivisection was hotly debated and increasingly denounced and as Charles Darwin's theory of evolution was gaining in popularity. The story subsequently took on even greater significance given contemporary debates about cloning and genetic experimentation. The doctor also represents a series of fundamental anxieties about the role of science and human responsibility. He is the archetypal mad scientist who creates without due care or any apparent concern for the consequences of his work and is as vile as the beasts he manipulates.