Dr. Frankenstein's lab in Mary Shelley's 1819 novel was the birthplace of a new kind of science. In the book Mary Shelley uses Frankenstein's experiment as a way to explore the limitations of scientific progress, and to ask questions about the ethics of it.

Specifically, can science resurrect the dead, and more to the point, should it? Generations of storytellers after Shelley would incorporate examples of science being used to dark, foreboding ends. Not least among them was the Robert Louis Stevenson character Dr. Jekyll, and his famously destructive alter-ego, Mr. Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll's lab, housed in London's Museum of Natural History, also serves as a headquarters for a secret group dedicated to finding and neutralizing evil. It is called The Prodigium. In The Mummy, Dr. Jekyll has been transformed from merely being a scientist with a dark secret to an academic who specializes in evil "Mary Shelley... explore the limitations of scientific progress, and to ask questions about the ethics of it." and spends his life working to hunt it down. The Prodigium is the venue where Jekyll conducts his studies and stores artifacts. Having access to the resources of the museum allows him to perform in-depth research. Among the many curiosities seen inside the lab you'll find the skull of Dracula as well as The Creature From the Black Lagoon's arm.

Studying such auspicious and dangerous creatures is far from what constitutes a routine scientific endeavor. Just like Dr. Frankenstein flipping the switch and electrifying his cadaver back to life, this is a different kind of science with its own set of dark consequences. Dark science is what happens when science goes too far. For Dr. Frankenstein, it meant inadvertently creating a monster. For historical characters in fiction like Dr. Faust, it meant making a deal with the devil in order to discern the secrets of the universe. The Prodigium ultimately may have a noble goal driving it, but that doesn't mean that it's safe, or that unintended consequences can't spring out of it.