Pellagra and the Origin of a Myth: Evidence from European Literature and Folklore

@article{Hampl1997PellagraAT,
  title={Pellagra and the Origin of a Myth: Evidence from European Literature and Folklore},
  author={Jeffrey S. Hampl and Walter Hampl},
  journal={Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine},
  year={1997},
  volume={90},
  pages={636 - 639}
}
  • J. Hampl, W. Hampl
  • Published 1 November 1997
  • History
  • Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
Although medical publications contain examples of clinical vampirism1, blood-drinking tyrants are an unlikely basis for the European vampire folklore. Such individuals, although noted in history, were rarely encountered. More likely, the vampire legend developed out of communities' mounting fear of a disease they encountered daily. Because their understanding of medicine included aspects of magic, eighteenth and nineteenth century villagers used their belief in fables, such as vampires, to… 
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23 Citations
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23 Citations

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The physical and behavioral features of the vampire show striking and intriguing similarities with three relatively rare medical conditions discussed in this article: porphyria, rabies and pellagra.
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Pellagra: a review with emphasis on photosensitivity
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Bleeding manifestations apparently unrelated to coagulation or other organic disorders: A tentative classification and diagnostic clues
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Murder by Death: Renfield Syndrome
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Photodermatology. Quo vadis?
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References

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TLDR
Utilizing modern forensic pathology, Barber argues that the lore of vampire/revenant is an elaborate folk-hypothesis to explain quite natural phenomena of decomposition.
The Butterfly Caste: A Social History of Pellagra in the South
TLDR
The rise and fall of pellagra, the disputes about its cause, and the social and political struggles form a fascinating story, well told by Elizabeth Etheridge.
Vampires, Porphyria, and the Media: Medicalization of a Myth
TLDR
A rumor may consist of speculation about an illness or physical anomaly described in history or depicted in art or, as in an example discussed here, told in myth and folklore.
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TLDR
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TLDR
It is considered that the "classical" features of pellagra have changed due to: protein ingestion slightly below the lowest normal limit, decrease of strenuous physical activity and some associated diseases (frequently gastrointestinal disorders, chronic alcoholism).
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The epidemic of pellagra in the first half of this century at its peak produced at least 250,000 cases and caused 7,000 deaths a year for several decades in 15 southern states. It also filled…
Politics and pellagra: the epidemic of pellagra in the U.S. in the early twentieth century.
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  • Medicine, Political Science
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The epidemic of pellagra in the first half of this century at its peak produced at least 250,000 cases and caused 7,000 deaths a year for several decades in 15 southern states. It also filled…
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TLDR
Clinical pellagra should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with chronic alcoholism, malnutrition, and amino acid imbalance, although most pellagrins respond to niacin combined with a high-protein diet, although other concomitant vitamin deficiencies may prevent the use of niacIn.
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TLDR
Clinical pellagra should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with chronic alcoholism, malnutrition, and amino acid imbalance, although other concomitant vitamin deficiencies may prevent the use of niacin.
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