Early yearsJohann Konrad Dippel was born in a small castle, Castle Frankenstein, in southwestern Germany in 1673. He was born into a devoutly Lutheran family. His father was a fourth generation Lutheran preacher and from a very young age it was decided that Johann would follow in his father's footsteps. At the age of nine he entered a small school called Darmstadt Gymnasium to begin studies on religious subjects. By his seventeenth birthday he was studying theology at the University of Giessen. While at university he gained a reputation for being questionable, yet defiant and short-tempered. This behavior earned him many friends, who admired his willingness to disagree, and many enemies who despised his willingness to argue for what seemed like the sake of arguing. This pattern will follow him throughout his life and in his studies as a scientist. Despite all this, one thing remained true: everyone, including his enemies, esteemed his brilliance. After earning a master's degree in Giessen, he moved to Wittenberg and Strasbourg, Germany. He spent most of his time traveling around the area preaching. The other part of his time was spent writing and publishing religious articles. His articles were distributed throughout much of Europe. It was also during this period that he began to question the fundamental beliefs of the Lutheran church. His interest reached its peak in philosophy and the philosophy of other religions. He found himself drawn to a movement that was gaining momentum in Europe, Pietism. During his stay in Strasbourg he killed a man during a firefight and was forced to leave the city. His new faith in pietism and his forced removal from Strasbourg kindled a passionate disgust for the Lut... middle of paper... fascination that Mary Shelley and others after her saw in him. Works Cited Page: Cuadill, Duchan. Frankenstein Castle. http://classiclit.about.com/od Frankenstein/a/aa_castlefrank.ht, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Prussian Blue. http://bt.cdc.gov.radiation/prussian blue.aspTechniques and indications: the creation of color in eighteenth-century Europe: Prussian blue. http://www.gutenberg-e.org/lowengard/C_Chap32.htmlMurphy, Kathlenn. (July 19, 2011) Factoidz. Conrad Dippel, the mad scientist of Castle Frankenstein. http://factoidz.com/conrad-dipel-the-mad-scientist-of castle-frankenstein/Aynsley, E.E. and Campbell, WA.Journal of Medical History, v.6, (July 1962) Johann Konrad Dippel, 1673- 1734.What is alchemy? A look at the history and principles of personal transformation. http://www.alchemylab.com/what_is_alchemy.htm