Home | Religion And Spirituality | New Age

Vampire Folklore And Modern Medical Science

By: Gen Wright Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Vampire stories are widespread throughout medieval history. Some stories date back to the 12th century. It's possible that these early stories of vampires were created by real medical circumstances.

Porphyria

There are numerous classifications of porphyria. Four of the classifications have symptoms of sunlight aversion: Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT), Protoporphyria or Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP), Variegate Porphyria, and Congenital Erythropoetic Porphyria (C.E.P.). Additional symptoms include hypertrichosis (excessive hair growth), red and sometimes bloody gums, and brown teeth. These symptoms coincide with many vampire tales. Still, victims of porphyria don't desire or consume blood.

Catalepsy

Catalepsy is a tactile malady defined by a decreased sensitivity to stimuli in addition to muscular rigidity. Persons with catalepsy don't act in response to outside stimuli. They are aware of their surroundings but they can't speak or move. Episodes of catalepsy may span for several minutes or for many hours or days.

In acute cases, a subject that is suffering from a cataleptic attack will seem dead. Indications of life can solely be detected by means of modern medical instruments. Medieval sufferers of catalepsy could have been buried alive. Some time later, when they regained muscular control they most definitely would've attempted to escape from their coffins. Some vampire tales describe noises coming from newly buried coffins. Later, when local villagers dug up these graves and unlocked them, scoring marks were discovered on the interior, leading townspeople to conclude vampires were attempting to escape from their coffins.

Anemia

Anemia is a condition characterized by blood that doesn't have adequate red blood cells. Since red blood cells transfer oxygen all around the body, symptoms include fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, and vertigo. These symptoms are a result of the body's organs not obtaining sufficient oxygen. These symptoms also resemble the symptoms of vampire victims in early legends. Anemia is a very common condition.

Rabies

Bats and Wolves both are oftentimes connected with vampires. They are common carriers of the disease rabies. Rabies has symptoms that resemble vampirism. Hyper-sensitivity, a characteristic of rabies, might result in light or garlic repulsion. Other symptoms entail becoming nocturnal due to aberrant sleep patterns and hyper-sexuality. Rabies is spread by biting, and patients with rabies are oftentimes observed frothing at the mouth with blood.

Conclusion

Today's medical science may translate some of Europe's medieval vampire myths. Porphyria, catalepsy, anemia, and rabies are all explainable causes of early vampire tales. Villagers of the period who were short on medical education wouldn't understand these diseases and their symptoms. The result could be the vampire legends that ran rampant in Europe in the middle ages.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Gen Wright is a contributor to the online community Vampire Rave, a social network with a vampire theme. He also contributes to SciFi Section, a science fiction community.