When Arnod Paole was attacked by a vampire, he knew what to do to save his

soul. He tracked the creature to its grave, thrust a stake through its

heart, smearing his own body with the blood. He would often retell the tale

drawing gasps of admiration. Life went on as normal until Paole broke his

neck in a fall, and was buried in a local graveyard. Then Paole seemed to 

come back from the dead.

Villagers began complaining about being bothered by Paole and dead bodies

were found drained of blood. The Austrian Army officers investigated and

when they exhumed Paole's body, it was "complete and undecayed... fresh

blood had flowed from his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Since they saw that

he was a vampire, they drove a stake through his heart, whereupon he

groaned and bled profusely."

This is one of many cases recorded in the Austrian officers account entitled

Visum et repertum (Seen and Discovered)  

A survey by California State University revealed that more than 27% of

Americans believed that vampires were real. If asked what such a vampire

looked like, these believers would probably describe the creatures portrayed

in numerous films, which have as their source Bram Stoker's, Dracula.

So, medical fact or vampire fiction? There are many medical conditions which

can account for common signs of vampirism.

 1. The vampire's most distinguishing feature is its fanged teeth. Medically,

    this condition is mirrored by hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a

    genetic disease which causes teeth to grow in such a way that the

    majority of them are short and blunt, giving the canines an unnaturally

    long, conical appearance.

 2. In the past anyone seen displaying signs of having been attacked by the

    undead - such as canine bite marks - would be expected to turn into

    vampires. Many skin conditions such as pemphigus vulgaris, give rise

    to bite like lesions which, to many 18th century people, would have been

    a sure sign that a vampire was on the loose.

 3. Sufferers of the skin condition morphea, which gives rise to violet-coloured

    lesions affecting the lower lip, could have been mistaken for blood

    drinkers.

 4. Vampires are nocturnal because they are extremely sensitive to light,

    but there are medical conditions that cause photosensitivity such as

    porphyria, Sezary's syndrome and polymorphic light eruption.

 5. To eyewitnesses, it often appeared that the vampire had shed its skin

    and grown a new layer, this is only half right. As the body decays, the

    epidermis loosens and falls off, leaving the underlying dermis, which

    could be mistaken for fresh skin growth.

 6. During supposed vampire epidemics, many bodies were dig up to find the

    culprits. When corpses were discovered red and swollen, they were often

    stabbed through the heart and buried. The swelling actually results from

    a build up of gases in the body, and the redness comes from the darkening

    of the blood as it is broken down by bacteria.

Methods for combating vampires differ from country to country but the most

enduring are those of middle European folklore. A crucifix or holy water is

used to repel the undead and a sharpened stake is driven through its heart

to kill it. Stuffing the dead vampires mouth with garlic ensures it stays 

dead.

You've seen it on Buffy, you've read about it in Bram Stokers Dracula, and

you've read about it here. But what do you really think of vampirism, is

it pure Hollywood, or is there something more sinister going on ??