From a historical and mythological perspective, very littl evidence supports the notion that our ancestors were haunted by real vampires.  Vampires have appeared in three main forms throughout history:  as explanations for mysterious deaths and plagues; as characters in folklore, mythology, literature, and poetry; and as real humans convicted of vampirism.  Research has found that a number of medical conditions that until recently were unknown, that explain how people could have been mistaken for vampires.  Also the known impact of media on society, and the influence of social issues and religious beliefs can explain much of the recent interest as well as the added confusion.       LOSS OF FAITH IN VAMPIRES These superstitions, if replicated with faith, can turn into beliefs and result in hysteria.  In several countries, over several centuries, vampires and other undead creatures have been blamed for stealing life from mortals.  People living in Europe during the medieval times believed that vampires were responsible for the spread of disease and death.  Infants that died in their sleep were thought to be the victims of energy sucking vampires.  In Northern England in 1810, and also in Ireland in 1874, masses of sheep had their jugular veins cut out and their blood drained.  Vampire activity was suspected.  In addition, we would more likely find an article about a psychopathic sheep killer, rather than a notice to be wary of the creatures of the night.  Today many societies would find it an unlikely theory that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a result of psychic draining by vampires.          REAL VAMPIRES THROUGHOUT HISTORY Throughout history, many people were suspected as vampires.  Some were actually convicted and sentenced for committing acts related to vampirism.  These people are held as vampires still by the strong believers of today.  However, to a non-believer, vampirismm seems like sociopathic characteristic of ment illness.  In fact, there is very little information that suggest those persons even fit the physical description of a traditional vampire (fangs, pale skin, sensitivity to sunlight...etc). Some of the well known convicted vampires of the last 600 years are reponsible for various myths:... **Vlad Tepes - In the 15th Century, "Vlad the Impaler," also known as Dracula (devil), was a ruler for the state of Wallachia just south of Transylvania.  He was famous for sadistically killing hundreds of people by impaling them and watching them die.  Legend also suggests that he practiced cannibalism and drank the blood of his enemies. **Elizabeth Bathory - In 1610, Bathroy was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing hundres of people and bating in their blood. **The Ray Family - In 1854, these residents of Jewell, Connecticut gained fame in the local newspapers when they were suspected of being involved in vampiric activies. **Pete Kurten - In 1931 he went on a vampiric killing spree in Germany and was later executed. **Fritz Harmann - In 1924, in Germant, Harmann killed more than 20 people in a vampiric crime spree. **Andrei Chinatilo - The same year that the movie "Bram Stoker's Dracula" was released, 1992, Chinatilo committed vampiric acts against more than 55 people.       MEDICAL EXPLANATION The preceding people were convicted of vampirism because they drank blood.  Science has since offered an explanation for these poor souls that were mistaken for vampires.  People suffering from Anemia may have a pale complexion, fatigue, fainting spells, shortness of breath and digestive orders.  A society with vampire anxiety easily mistook an anemic person for a vampire victum that is transforming into a vampire.  Catalepsy "returning from the dead".  Catalepsy causes a person's regulatory functions to slow and victums often lose voluntary muscle control and their bodies become rigid from munutes to days.  Before the 10th century, a cataleptic body was often mistaken for a deceased body.  It is possible that these victums were buried alive and dug their way to the surface when they awoke. Porphyria victims lack a vital component of blood which makes them extremely sensitive to sunlight, acquire sores that will not heal properly, grow excessive amounts of hair, are sensitive to garlic and have tightened skin around the lips and gums.                 EVOLUTION OF THE VAMPIRE Before Christanity spread to the masses of Europe, other belief systems created monsters such as vampires.  The legends continued to haunt peasants for several hundreds of years and still fascinate society today.  Pre-Christianity vampires were living monsters that devoured their prey instead of merely drinking their blood.  The vampire myth most of society is familiar with today originated in Eastern Europe in the 17th century.  These vampires were decayed, undead humans that only extracted blood from sleeping mortals.  They are also capable of transforming humans into vampires.  Most recently, another vampire has shared the spotlight with Dracula.  Lestat was created by Ann Rice in her novel Interview With the Vampire.  He is very similar to Dracula in many ways, but he has been modified to fit more realistically into 20th century society.  His persona is much more appealing to the modern audience than Dracula's but Dracula is still internationally recognized as the standard for vampires.  Since science is changeing the way we perceive the vampires, fewer cases of traditional vampires roaming the coutryside have been reported.  Perhaps traditional vampires have ceased to exist because science and research has disporved much of the folklore.  Yet, we still refuse to let goof their presence because the horrific tales fascinate us and stimulate our imagination.