Who is Herbert West from Dagon and Other Macabre Tales and what is their importance?

Herbert West is a doctor and scientist, who has developed a serum that he believes will reanimate corpses. He is obsessed with reanimation, and is ultimately responsible for the numerous murders that are enacted in the name of science.

Eventually, West becomes obsessed with reanimating purely to reanimate. His love of science and knowledge has been extinguished by his desire to experiment with corpses. Eventually, he is killed by his own creations.