The Doctor Is Out...Of His Mind! Quiz

Answer: Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's novel "Frankenstein", with the subtitle of "The Modern Prometheus", is one of the most famous horror novels of all time. It focuses on a scientist driven to the brink of insanity by his experiments dealing with the reanimation of a dead human being.

It should be noted that Frankenstein is the name of the doctor, not the name of the monster, as is commonly believed by those who have not read the novel.

Answer: War of the Worlds

"The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells is a science fiction novel published in 1898 that was considered by many to be ahead of its time. The story takes place in London in the novel and in California in the 1953 movie that it inspired. This novel about the possible annihilation of mankind by beings from another world was also made into a 60-minute radio program that was narrated by actor and filmmaker Orson Wells. Dr. Forrester, whose name is not known until radio and movie adaptations, is one of the terrified characters, being driven mad by fear of the unknown, who attempts to kill the enemy with biological warfare.

The differences in the novel, the movie, the radio presentation, and a subsequent television show, are too many to list.

Answer: Superman

Lex Luthor first appeared in the April 1940 edition of DC Action Comics #23. He is described as a mad doctor bent on controlling the earth. He uses his intelligence to make futuristic weapons in his quest for world domination. He is Superman's archenemy and they have been battling each other for many decades.

Answer: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Goethe's 1808 novel "Faust" focuses on Heinrich Faust, a highly esteemed scholar. Despite his scholarly success he is unfulfilled and makes a deal with the devil in which he trades his soul for unlimited knowledge and other worldly pleasures. Goethe's work is actually a rewrite or re-translation of an earlier work by Christopher Marlow, in his play "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus".

In the end Faust goes mad and ends up in hell when he dies. There are many versions of the story, but they all deal with the surrender of Faust's moral integrity in order to achieve more power and success only to find that he really has made a deal with the devil, in more ways than one.

Answer: The Silence of the Lambs

Thomas Harris wrote four novels which featured this cannibalistic, sociopathic doctor as a main character. The popularity of the books went through the roof with the release of the film "The Silence of the Lambs" in 1991. Hopkin's portrayal of this mad doctor earned him an Academy Award. Dr. Hannibal Lecter was first introduced to the public in the 1981 novel "Red Dragon".

Answer: False

James Bond and his surrounding cast of characters, including Dr. No, are the creation of British author Ian Fleming. Dr. No's diabolical deeds deal with studies into how the human body withstands and survives pain and stress. Dr. No creates a variety of unusual weapons and attempts to sabotage American missile tests at Cape Canaveral.

In the end super-spy James Bond kills Dr. No by burying him in bird guano.

Answer: Robert Louis Stevenson

Published in January of 1886, the "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" was the creation of Robert Lewis Stevenson (1850-1894). It deals with the poorly understood psychological condition known at the time as "split personality". The benign and respected Dr. Jekyll concocts an elixir that, when drunk, turns him into Mr. Hyde and frees him to act in a manner which was against societal norms.

This switch in personalities becomes so profound that Dr. Jekyll loses all control of the situation. His evil side becomes a murderer and insanity ensues.

In the end Dr. Jekyll commits suicide. Many believe that this character is supposed to be every man, and that there is good and evil in all of us.

Answer: The Island of Doctor Moreau

The science fiction novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" by H.G. Wells deals with a mad scientist who lives alone on his island. He is surrounded by hundreds of exotic animals on whom he is conducting cruel and bizarre experimentation. Once an esteemed and respected scientist, Moreau has withdrawn from society so he can continue his immoral experiments without reprisal from the public.

He crosses men with all kinds of animals, including dogs, leopards, and pigs. This novel attempted to deal with the advances occurring in science at that time in history.

Some the ideas put forth included the need to take responsibility for that which you create, a questioning of the accepted concepts of animal cruelty, and a warning of the dangers incurred when man attempts to control nature. All are lessons that are relevant today.

Answer: Professor Antelle

Professor Antelle was a genius scientist who designed a rocket-ship capable of traveling at the speed of light. A true misogynist, he takes his ship and travels to the planet Soror, where he is captured by intelligent apes. The apes place him in their city zoo along with other primitive human which live on the planet.

When he is discovered by other Earth humans, he is found to be alive but unable to speak. He has also gone mad and reverted to the primitive state of a wild animal, from which he never recovers.

Answer: Batman

Professor Hugo Strange appeared in the February 1940 edition of "Detective Comics" as one of Batman's recurring villains. Hugo Strange is a strange psychiatrist who runs a rest home where he obtains information from patients with a machine that reads minds. He uses this information to blackmail the citizens of Gotham.