# Create Vampires/Scientific Evidence Against Vampirism
## Scientific Evidence Against Vampirism

The authors Winkler and Anderson, responding to a proposal suggested by David H. Dolphin, linking a disease named porphyria with vampirism the "medicalization of a myth."

### The Origin Of A Myth, Or A New Medical Condition?

David Dolphin, sharing his original hypothesis, speculated in the mid-1980s that a disease known as porphyria maybe the root cause of vampirism and werewolf myths.
David Dolphin's proposal eventually sparked criticism and debate. A 1995 article in Postgraduate Medical Journal questioned the evidence Dolphin presented, while other observers questioned the quality of the information he shared on television, and at a talk conference.
The "Vampire Disease"
It seems that the history of understanding, and classifying "vampirism" is long and lengthy.
According to Kennedy, a major contributor to the article: The Myth of a Medical Explanation for Vampirism, the myth of vampirism has evolved, mutated, changed shape, yet stuck around "for millennia." C
Porphyria has been called the "vampire disease" because of its similar nature to people considered vampires...at least that is the story some people claim.
Today's popular vampire mythology draws on Slavic folklore, and 18th century stories. These stories commonly involved a recently declared deceased family member, who, upon exhumation, meaning when un-buried, had little signs of decomposer, and appeared to be "full of fresh blood." This may be a explanation for why people, called vampires, are also called "un-dead."
The people of 19th century New England continued this train-of-thought, and according to The Myth Of A Medical Explanation For Vampirism, this type-of-thought influenced Carmilla [1871] and Dracula, [1897] novels featuring vampires that were "mobile," more underground "un-dead."
Behaviors associated with vampirism, such as hallucinating tendencies, have been linked with similar diseases such as rabies.
Many critics of David H. Dolphin's hypothesis, objected to the practice of connecting vampiric characteristics to diseases that are known and understood. The New York Times reported David H. Dolphin's hypothesis, noting similar symptoms porphyria shares with vampirism, such as a sensitivity to sunlight, a possible lack of a needed molecule in their blood, and sensitivity to garlic. These similar symptoms were of such importance to Dolphin, that he mentioned these symptom similarities in a 1982 speech to the Royal Society, and on a 1984 TV appearance on NBC.
Scientist, and Medical Professionals critical of David Dolphin's links, may have thought Dolphin was trying to define vampirism as a new disease! In a move to disassociate porphyria with vampirism, Mary G. Winkler and Anderson, asked the general public to stop building new myths, and to focus instead on more humane treatments for patients with porphyria. “There is a necessity for scientists and the media to set aside cynical assumptions about their audiences and consider first and foremost their responsibilities to the communities of patients who are affected by diseases and by stories about their diseases,” both authors wrote. They also wrote about patients who became depressed by reports in the media linking porphyria, their illness, with vampirism.
In general, sympathy does extent to people in need of better treatment for their disease, yet porphyria is also known as the "vampire disease."

### What evidence do Scientist and Medical Professionals have against vampirism?

Members of the modern medical profession publicly stated that vampire myths probably derive from misunderstandings concerning death (and decomposition). Ironically, if vampire myths contain some truthful parts, it is the people with family members who have been called vampires who should claim that modern medical Doctors do not seem to understand death, or simple techniques needed to ensure that a living person is not buried alive against their will.