Table 3 Some examples of general teaching objectives when using Frankenstein as a pedagogical tool

• To acquire an overview of biomedical research and its relationship with human health

• To understand how biomedicine evolves over time

• To analyse the synergy between different aspects of society and advances in knowledge and between literature and science, as well as the interdependence of these elements

• To analyse the limits of biomedical research according to social norms

• To promote critical thinking and bioethical reflection on the limits of biomedical research

• To discuss ethical dilemmas that biomedical advances represent for the present and future of humanity

• To articulate how bioethical limits are related to empathy and compassionate care