Although vampire superstition has been around for longer, lore and accounts of real vampires grew most in the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages was ripe with diseases and plagues. One of these diseases shows symptoms that fit the description of traits a vampire would show. Lets list some common traits exhibited by a vampire throughout all lore and compare it with symptoms of a disease called Porphyrias [pawr-feer-ee-uh].
VAMPIRE
PORPHYRIAS
VAMPIRE
- Burns in sunlight
- Pale/Fair skin
- Drink blood
PORPHYRIAS
- Blisters in sunlight
- Changes in pigment (skin color)
- Desire to drink human blood to alleviate symptoms
Interesting huh?
Barber, P. (1987). Forensic Pathology and the European Vampire. Journal of Folklore Research, 24(1), 1-32. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3814375
Barber, P. (1987). Forensic Pathology and the European Vampire. Journal of Folklore Research, 24(1), 1-32. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3814375
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