The panic was caused by a health crisis that plagued New England in the 18th and 19th century (Bell, 2006, p. 124). The real culprit: consumption – i.e., tuberculosis. Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection that can attack different parts of the body but is most well-known for wreaking havoc on the lungs (pulmonary tuberculosis), which can cause the infected person to cough blood – thanks to modern medicine, TB is both curable and preventable (Massachusetts Department of Public Health).
While a respiratory condition might not scream “vampire!” to any of us, the other symptoms of the disease such as weight-loss, fatigue, and loss of appetite align more with the mainstays of vampire lore. In lieu of a better explanation, these symptoms suggested that something was feeding on the infected person and draining them of life.
Not everyone actually believed vampires were the cause, as you can read from this excerpt in “Analysis of a Correspondence on Some of the Causes of Antecedents of Consumption” which is part of a larger report to the Massachusetts State Board of Health in 1873:
I picked this example because it features in one of the government documents in our collection (you can view and download a copy of the full report from our Digital Repository); however, there are many more instances that occurred in other regions of New England and go into greater detail. Based on these accounts, a common course of action for eradicating vampires seems to have been to burn the organs – particularly the heart – of the suspected vampire (Bell, 2006, p. 125).
While the author of the above report clearly thinks this family’s actions were absurd, it is important to acknowledge that the larger context of this passage is in answer to whether drinking alcohol is a legitimate means of preventing the disease (spoiler: it’s not). The first TB vaccine would not be developed until 1921 and the first antibiotics to treat the disease would not be created until 1943, prior to that your only other option (if you had the resources) was to convalesce in a sanatorium and hope for the best (Division of Tuberculosis Elimination).
You can read more about the New England Vampire Panic and tuberculosis in the source list below; however, if you prefer your vampire lore to stay in the realm of fiction, the State Library has plenty of books to keep you up at night! Because the State Library is part of the CW MARS library network, our patrons have access to hundreds of vampire-related books, eBooks, and audiobooks. Whether you’re interested in the classics or something more modern, there’s bound to be a vampire book to suit your taste.
Use our online catalog to do a subject search for “vampire” – you can access eBooks and audiobooks through the Libby app. If you need assistance setting up and navigating, we have this tutorial video to get you started.
Happy reading!
Maryellen Larkin, Government Documents & Reference Librarian
I picked this example because it features in one of the government documents in our collection (you can view and download a copy of the full report from our Digital Repository); however, there are many more instances that occurred in other regions of New England and go into greater detail. Based on these accounts, a common course of action for eradicating vampires seems to have been to burn the organs – particularly the heart – of the suspected vampire (Bell, 2006, p. 125).
While the author of the above report clearly thinks this family’s actions were absurd, it is important to acknowledge that the larger context of this passage is in answer to whether drinking alcohol is a legitimate means of preventing the disease (spoiler: it’s not). The first TB vaccine would not be developed until 1921 and the first antibiotics to treat the disease would not be created until 1943, prior to that your only other option (if you had the resources) was to convalesce in a sanatorium and hope for the best (Division of Tuberculosis Elimination).
Use our online catalog to do a subject search for “vampire” – you can access eBooks and audiobooks through the Libby app. If you need assistance setting up and navigating, we have this tutorial video to get you started.
Happy reading!
Maryellen Larkin, Government Documents & Reference Librarian
Sources:
Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. “History of World TB
Day.” Tuberculosis (TB), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 18
Oct. 2023, www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday/history.htm.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Tuberculosis.” www.mass.gov/tuberculosis.
Muise, Peter. “The Plymouth Vampire of 1807.” New England
Folklore, 11 Nov. 2021, https://newenglandfolklore.blogspot.com/2021/11/the-plymouth-vampire-of-1807.html.
Accessed 2024.
Tucker, Abigail. “The Great New England Vampire Panic.” Smithsonian
Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-new-england-vampire-panic-36482878/.
