Vampires: Disease, Decomposition and the Undead

Before the acceptance of the germ theory of disease, some societies believed that the undead spread illness and death among the living. In Slavic folklore, the vampire was one such creature. However, the vampire that appears in modern literature and film would be unrecognizable to people living in Central and Eastern Europe during the 18th century. What was the original vampire like? How did communities protect themselves from the threat of vampires? How did Enlightenment science respond to vampires?

Speaker : John Buhler