What are VAMPIRES

Dermatits was one disease, which can be caused by some surprising things, like exposure to sunlight, exposure to extreme heat or cold, exposure to x-rays or radiation and infections of self-inflicted wounds. the rash that is caused by these things is sometimes red, with scaling of the skin.then, this would have been seen as a sign of possession, but the main thing is that if the persoin's Dermetits was caused by exposure to the sun they were seen as cursed. This affliction is one of the so-called symptoms of a vampire.

Then there is Porphyria, this disease is possibly one of the closest diseases to the symptoms of a Vampire . This disease is found in the blood stream, with Congenital Porphyria it is often due to a recessive gene, Porphyrins (Chemical substance involved in the haemaglobin) are deposited in the skin. This causes light-sensitivity and excessive hair growth. Although the majority of Vampire myths are from Hollywood, most of their ideas must have come from somewhere, if you look at the first two symptoms alone you can see what people in the middle ages and before would have seen and almost understood how they thought. Many films portray Vampires as having hairy hands or hair that cannot be cut off for it grows straight back. This would be fitting with the symptoms of excessive hair growth. Other symptoms of Congential Porphyria are Lavendar coloured teeth, brown coloured bones, an enlarged spleen and port-wine coloured Urine. Treatment would include the avoidance of sun-light. The fact that suffers could not go out in sun-light would have led superstitious people to believe that the person was evil as the sun was seen as good, and dark as a time for evil to roam in many times.

Surprisingly enough, something as simple as a Vitamin C deficiancy could appear as though the sufferer was a Vampire. Symptoms include listlessness, fatigue, swollen and livid gums which bleed and small purpuric haemorrhages into the skin, bruising and anaemia. Bleeding, swollen gums, if bad enough may look a little like having a blood capsule (You place them under that tongue and they are supposed to make it look like you are bleeding from the mouth). A few hundred years ago, people would have either thought you were dying or if you were untrusted you could be believed to be evil.

There are so many different Vampire stories, and in each one there is something different about the Vampire or the group it lives within. In L. J. Smith's Secret Vampire (Night World Collection), the Vampires live amongst us as we do, they often have jobs but these are used as ways of feeding. They live in the Night World with Witches, Werewolves and other powerful beings, natural Witches are just another name for what we call Psychics. The Vampires see humans as vermin and do not allow any attachment to them, there are only two rules, 1. Never let humans find out about the Night World and 2. Never fall in Love with them.

The Powers that a Vampire has varies also. In some books or films, Vampires fly, in "From Dusk til Dawn " (Quentin Tarantino) the Vampires are disguised as Bikers and Strippers using as seedy bar as a way of attracting victims. When feeding they mutate into creatures that appear to have an animal side to them. The leading female Vampire becomes part snake while others just look disfigured and appear to have some family resemblance to Dracula in "Bramstokers Dracula"! And while this really doesn't have much to do with the Vampire theme, I am not a George Clooney fan, but wow he does look good in that!! (And that tattoo!!) Hehe.

Other fictional skills from Hollywood, include turning into Bats, now I can almost believe that Vampires might exist now or at some point in the past or maybe even in the future, but turing into Bats? Come on guys you can do better than that. Then there is their miraculous healing, sometimes I wish I could heal as fast as these guys, but when I have college I pray for a slow painless recovery where I must take numerous days off!! Silver, now then, a few problems with Silver, in some films it burns in others it kills and in some it even does both!! So does anyone know what silver does?? Please tell me because I am confused.

We all know about Crosses, digesting blood, ( yes they really do!) and being extremely strong. But what about inviting them into your home, according to most films and several books I have read the Vampire must be invited in but once you have you have no power over them. In "Lost Boys" the head Vampire has a reflection once invited in to somewhere, holy water doesn't affect him, he appears human to the family and so no-one realises it is him.