That and, you know, OSHA wasn't around in the 19th century. Actually, if the monster knows about OSHA, doesn't that mean he has future vision? In that case, he might be a bigger success than the doctor anticipated.
(Warning: Mild spoilers for the book! Btw I recommend y'all read it, it's really good.)
That's actually kinda the point, in the book Victor Frankenstein studies the writings of alchemists like Agrippa or Flamel instead of his contemporary (ie. 18th century) science. Everyone tells him those writings are outdated but he's fascinated by them and their quest to unlock the secrets of life, and thus creates the Creature. He gives him beautiful features, but as soon as the Creature opens his eyes, Victor becomes disgusted and afraid because, well, he looks like a living corpse. The story is tragic and beautiful and not at all like our pop culture understanding of Frankenstein.
Yes, the book is great and absolutely glorious when the less edited edition came out a couple of years ago. The movies tend to be about the horror and monsters, the original edit by Mary Shelly's brother focused on the aspect of playing god but the new revision is a glorious exploration of the human condition. If you don't want to read the book I suggest the movie adaption Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) with Robert De Niro.
Ooh I haven't seen that movie, thanks for the recommendation! While we're at recommendations, I did quite enjoy listening to the audiobook version by Librivox. Not all the narrators are good, but the ones that matter (ie. Victor and the Creature) are brilliant. You really get sucked into the plot when they narrate it.
That's actually kinda the point, in the book Victor Frankenstein studies the writings of alchemists like Agrippa or Flamel instead of his contemporary (ie. 18th century) science. Everyone tells him those writings are outdated but he's fascinated by them and their quest to unlock the secrets of life, and thus creates the Creature. He gives him beautiful features, but as soon as the Creature opens his eyes, Victor becomes disgusted and afraid because, well, he looks like a living corpse. The story is tragic and beautiful and not at all like our pop culture understanding of Frankenstein.