Vampire Panic in New England: Using Medical Anthropology & Archaeology to Understand a Cultural Phenomenon

Excerpt from the Boston Daily Globe in a report on the New England Vampire Panic

 

Beginning in 1784 New England communities found themselves in the grip of a terrible epidemic of tuberculosis, which led to what historians now refer to as the New England Vampire Panic.  Anthropologists have weighed in on what happened, drawing upon medical anthropological, ethnohistorical, and archaeological evidence to explain how and why the New England Vampire Panic occurred.  Today’s blog post will delve into the anthropological interpretations and summarize them.

 

Throughout the 1700s and 1800s tuberculosis epidemics rapidly spread throughout New England.  At this time medicine as a scientific discipline did not yet exist, and medical doctors had little to no training.  They often fell back on folk cures and superstitions to diagnose and treat illness.  It was popular belief among many that individuals got sick if they participated in sinful or immoral behavior, leading many to turn to religion as a means of controlling and understanding the harsh and unpredictable realities of their health.  Religious communities hit by tuberculosis epidemics turned to either Satan or God as the explanation for the deaths of so many, but throughout the southern portions of New England, specifically Rhode Island and Vermont, there were large populations of non-religious people who turned to a supernatural explanation for the tuberculosis epidemic: vampires.

 

Tuberculosis is a contagious bacterial infection that affects many people globally every year.  It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can exist in a dormant state in the human body without ever causing harm.  The disease is easily transmitted through the air, meaning exposure is likely if and when individuals carry the bacteria in their body.  In individuals who become or are immunocompromised, tuberculosis becomes active and can very quickly and severely affect an individual’s health and if untreated lead to death.  The symptoms of an active tuberculosis infection had previously been associated with vampirism, specifically in these individuals exhibit paleness, which later turns into emaciation, and dry coughs that eventually develop into coughing up blood (due to ulcers in the lungs).  These symptoms are worse at night, which among those unfamiliar with tuberculosis was viewed as additional support for the link to vampirism.  

 

These populations reached this conclusion based on the superstitions they brought with them from Europe.  As previously discussed here and above, the tuberculosis and vampirism connection previously existed, and without a more sound, medical/scientific explanation for how and why so many people were dying, particularly within family groups, the vampire explanation was as good as any.  From a medical anthropological perspective this conclusion makes sense.  People had their preconceived ideas about vampires and how to recognize them, which was present in the symptoms of those dying from tuberculosis, and therefore that was the conclusion they reached. 

 

It also explains the strange mortuary behaviors that followed suit.  Unlike their European counterparts wherein suspected vampires were immediately dispatched upon burial, American immigrants, who were several generations removed from their European ancestors, practiced their own unique mortuary traditions, which have been identified through both historical and archaeological evidence.  A family member would accuse a deceased family member of causing harm to the living family, and the family members and neighbors would exhume the body to test it for evidence of vampirism.  They would specifically remove organs, such as the heart, liver, and lungs, and search for “fresh blood” in those organs.  Without fully understanding the stages of decomposition testers would mistake coagulated blood as “fresh blood”, thereby verifying the existence of a vampire.  The vital organs would then be burned and the ashes consumed by the latest victim in order to remove the vampire’s curse (which typically did not work).  These tests would often by accompanied by other protective measures, such as the removal the legs (so the vampire could not leave their tomb to harm the living), reburial in a separate portion of the cemetery, painting a red X or red symbol on the coffin, or, in a couple of cases, the repositioning of the skeletal remains into a skull and cross bone pattern.

 

The New England Vampire Panic disappeared as the field of medicine advanced and germ theory was discovered, leading individuals to recognize the true causes of tuberculosis and identify effective measures to prevent exposure and the infliction of the disease.  The New England Vampire Panic of the 1700 and 1800s does provide some great insights into the power of belief in how individuals seek out treatment for their health and how they dispose of the dead.  Ultimately, this case is an excellent example of how anthropology can be used to understand cultural phenomenon, particularly in relation to health, and it stands as a lesson for those of us facing down our current medical crisis related to the Covid-19 Pandemic.  Let us not make the same mistakes as past people.

 

References

Bell, M. E. (2006). Vampires and Death in New England, 1784 to 1892. Anthropology and Humanism, 31(2), 124-140.

Lauer, S. A. (2017). The Social Impact of the Misconceptions Surrounding Tuberculosis. Iowa Historical Review, 7(1), 55-78.

Ponti, C. (2019, October 28). When New Englanders Blamed Vampires for Tuberculosis Deaths. Retrieved from History: https://www.history.com/news/vampires-tuberculosis-consumption-new-england

Tucker, A. (2012, October). The Great New England Vampire Panic. Smithsonian Magazine.