Darwin's impact on Frankenstein

Frankenstein is like a brief compilation of emerging scientific ideas of the late 18th/ early 19th century. Erasmus Darwin (mentioned in the preface; photo on left) from what I have found, is believed to have had a major impact on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. According to http://www.uh.edu/engines/faust.htm she had read Dr. Darwin's ideas of generating life from rotting foods. Darwin was amazed at the idea that worms could emerge from rotting foods. Of course now we know foods don't produce worms, but at that time, they must have thought anything could be possible. Thus, Mary Shelley played with the idea of creating life.

Also, Erasmus basically outlined the idea of transmutation of species; which later inspired his grandson, Charles Darwin (the Father of Evolution) to write the origin of species. This was completed in 1859, after the completion of Frankenstein. So this idea of mutating species and where life comes from must have been an upcoming popular idea!
-Elana