Although the first sentence of the preface to the original edition, which points to
Erasmus Darwin, has generally been thought to specify his Temple of Nature, Victor
Frankenstein's scientific concern with animal structures might suggest the relevance
to the novel as well of Darwin's Zoonomia; or, the Laws of Organic Life, published
in two volumes in 1794 and 1796. The first volume, in particular, broadly considers
the function of structure throughout the faunal species.