Doctor Pretorius received his degree in biology from Heidelberg University and rapidly made a reputation for himself with original research. He was not an especially popular lecturer, although he had a small group of select students with whom he worked closely, some of whom went on to become famous in their own right, including the notorious Dr. Frankenstein. Prior to Frankenstein's famous escapades, Dr. Pretorius was ejected from the University for promulgating in basic form some of the same theories his famous student developed in detail. He, however, was interested in growing life-forms as cultures, rather than returning life to dead tissue. He apparently had some success in these experiments, although only on a limited scale. Later, he was able to forge a short-term alliance with Frankenstein, with the objective of combining their techniques. As he died in the explosion that destroyed the work of the two men, it is uncertain whether Dr. Pretorius was able to succeed in his ambitions.