More vampire

For vampires in the US here's a research paper looking at 'Bioarcheological and Biocultural Evidence for the New England Vampire Folk Belief' from The American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Tuberculosis is not the only candidate for the origin of vampirism, rabies has been suggested as well - for example in 'Rabies: A possible explanation for the vampire legend' in the journal Neurology.

Given the incredible number of vampire myths from around the world (the Wikipedia article on vampires is a good starting place) it is entirely possible that different diseases were the origin of vampire myths in different places.

I love the picture in the post below. It's so perfectly Gothically vampire.

Incidentally cult actress and TV horror-movie host Vampira aka Maila Nurmi died yesterday at the age of 85. Her visual appearance with jet black hair, pale powdered face and blood-red lipstick and nail varnish undoubtedly influenced the Morticia Addams character on The Addams Family, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and a whole generation (or two) of Goths. Rest in peace, or not......