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Postdoctoral fellow John Edgar Browning, who has spent his entire academic life studying the depiction of vampires in film and literature, originally thought that there must be something deranged about real people who identify with the characters that seem more suited to horror movies than a historic district in Louisiana.
"Until 2009, the only area of vampire studies that I hadn't approached was real vampires, said Browning, who is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. I think I subconsciously saved it for last because I just thought what a lot of people think: that they must be crazy and have read too much fictional work about vampires.
The vampires whom Browning spoke with claim they can't control their urges, which amount to a need for around two or three feedings [ note: "feeding" is one of many specific terms the vampire community uses ] a week. If ample blood is on offer, they might refrigerate it and later combine it with other ingredients, like tea.
According to Browning, symptoms of vampirism start to manifest around puberty, when those who later become reliant on ingesting blood find themselves physically "drained" for no discernible reason. They usually discover accidentally that blood offers a remedy: They might bite their lip, for instance, and realize that swallowing the metallic liquid between their teeth gives them an instant burst of energy.
When Browning started his research, he was most surprised to discover that most of the community members didn't have an extensive knowledge of how vampires are portrayed in popular culture. Once, when he mentioned an episode of "True Blood," he said, "no one knew what I was talking about."
This lack of awareness indicated to him that the vampires weren't super-fans who had simply taken their obsession with fantasy narratives to an extreme. Rather, they were normal people with routines no different from everyone else.
No different, that is, with the exception of one grisly drinking habit.
(Score: 2) by jdavidb on Wednesday October 28 2015, @01:42AM
find themselves physically "drained" for no discernible reason. They usually discover accidentally that blood offers a remedy
The solution the midwives offered was hematinic iron supplement. Never tried blood, but I guess that might work, too.
ⓋⒶ☮✝🕊 Secession is the right of all sentient beings
(Score: 2) by Bill Evans on Wednesday October 28 2015, @01:48AM
So, has anybody tested these vampires for anemia? Girls, in particular, with anemic tendencies would find those tendencies elevated at the onset of puberty, when their periods start.
(Score: 3, Touché) by takyon on Wednesday October 28 2015, @03:19AM
That's a study for a more talented individual than John Edgar Browning. However he has done his part by creating vamp hype in the Washington Post. The grant money is yours for the taking; write your proposal fast.
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(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday October 28 2015, @04:28PM
Yeah, let's not study this interesting example of the human condition. That's totally how progress is made!
(Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Wednesday October 28 2015, @10:58PM
None of the 9 comments I previously posted on this article said that John Edgar Browning shouldn't have conducted this research. Are you currently experiencing the symptoms of anemia? They include confusion and poor concentration.
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(Score: 4, Insightful) by takyon on Wednesday October 28 2015, @03:18AM
How would drinking your own blood increase the iron supply of your blood? Although I suppose drinking the blood of others might do the trick...
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(Score: 2) by Reziac on Thursday October 29 2015, @02:53AM
There was a form of anemia that used to be seen occasionally in eastern Europe, that gave some people such intense cravings for iron that they would drink blood and even eat iron nails.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.