Vampirism became a serious health issue in the 18th century
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Maybe when you hear the word vampirism, the image of a vampire typical of horror films comes to mind, with black capes, pointed canine teeth and penetrating eyes. However, vampirism is a illness which left hundreds dead in the 18th century.
The first cases were recorded in 1725, when a medical report from a health professional in the army of the Holy Roman Empire used this expression for the first time.
According to the study “Medical explanations for the myth of vampirism”, published in the Revista Médica de Minas Gerais and prepared by the then medical academic Lennon da Costa Santos, when observing the vampire characteristics, medical and scientific explanations are identified.
“The legend is associated with a series of genetic anomalies, nutritional deficiencies or virus infections capable of causing behavioral changes. Historical facts have changed over time and these distortions have made the image of the vampire increasingly romantic and seductive”, he says the article.
The study draws similarities between the clinical picture found in diseases such as porphyria, hydrophobia and pellagra and their “historical and anthropological relationships as a possible biological explanation for the birth of the centuries-old myth of vampirism”.
The 1725 report says that, in a period of eight days, nine people died suddenly in the city of Kisilova, a village in Serbia, after allegedly receiving a nocturnal visit from a peasant named Petar Blagojević, who allegedly bit the victims and sucked your blood.
The report on this event was one of the first documented testimonies of vampire beliefs in Eastern Europe, and was published by the Wienerisches Diarium, a Vienna newspaper.
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With the account of a very similar case, by Arnold Paole of 1726-1732, it was widely translated to the West and North, contributing to the 18th century vampire craze in Germany, France and England.
Vampirism then became a recognized condition, witnessed by a large number of people, who presented characteristic signs and symptoms, such as corpses with fresh blood running through their veins and viscera; blood around the mouth, “from having fed”; rosy skin; bulky bodies, etc.
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Source: Byte Editorial
