Vampires united!

Did you know? Porphyria may have been the origin of vampires in mythology. During the Middle Ages, when there were no scientific advancements available, there was no way to treat this disorder. Prolonged exposure to the sun caused the body's immune system to attack itself, causing lesions and destroying joints and appearances in whoever had it. The only way those afflicted could deal with this was to hide out in dark places until nightfall because they didn't want their appendages rotting off. The "fangs" of the vampire could have been attributed to the secondary gingivitis caused by sun exposure as well, which made the canines more prominent. Nowadays, Porphyria is treated by injections of healthy red blood cells into the bloodstream. The next best thing that these Porphyritics had back then was probably drinking freaking blood. I found all of this out through research at the library.

Thanks for bringing that up, Kyetge! There are also other diseases and post-morten effects that may have combined into the pre-modern and modern image of the vampire. Some disorders like advanced-stage lupus can cause a person to break out into a blistering rash from sunlight; albinism, plain sunlight allergies (believed to be less common in previous centuries, at least for anyone who survived to be older than a few weeks), or simply paleness from avoiding sunlight, may have also contributed thanks to the increased likelihood and decreased time of exposure for sunburn. Post-mirten effects included not only those who were buried prematurely and later dug up to find scratched coffins and bloodied fingertips, but also swelling and lividity of the corpse and the gums and nail beds receding after death. Some cultures even have myths of vampires that could turn their flesh into worms and caterpillars to leave the grave, which has obvious causes. It's fun to know the things behind myths, be the myths true or not!