Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein: With an Account of MesmerismMayo, Herbert
History
Popular Superstitions, and the Truths Contained Therein: With an Account of Mesmerism
Mayo, Herbert
Mesmerism; Parapsychology and medicine; Superstition
The body of Arnod was then burnt to ashes, which were returned to the
grave. The authorities further staked and burnt the bodies of the four
others which were supposed to have been infected by Arnod. No mention
is made of the state in which they were found. The adoption of these
decisive measures failed, however, entirely to extinguish the evil,
which continued still to hang about the village. About five years
afterwards it had again become very rife, and many died through it;
whereupon the authorities determined to make another and a complete
clearance of the Vampyrs in the cemetery, and with that object they had
all the graves, to which present suspicion attached, opened, and their
contents officially anatomized, of which procedure the following is the
medical report, here and there _abridged_ only:—
1. A woman of the name of Stana, twenty years of age, who had died
three months before of a three days’ illness following her confinement.
She had before her death avowed that she had _anointed_ herself with
the blood of a Vampyr, to liberate herself from his persecution.
Nevertheless, she, as well as her infant, whose body through careless
interment had been half eaten by the dogs, had died. Her body was
entirely free from decomposition. On opening it, the chest was found
full of recently effused blood, and the bowels had exactly the
appearances of sound health. The skin and nails of her hands and feet
were loose and came off, but underneath lay new skin and nails.
2. A woman of the name of Miliza, who had died at the end of a three
months’ illness. The body had been buried ninety and odd days. In the
chest was liquid blood. The viscera were as in the former instance.
The body was declared by a heyduk, who recognised it, to be in better
condition, and fatter, than it had been in the woman’s legitimate
lifetime.
3. The body of a child eight years old, that had likewise been buried
ninety days: it was in the Vampyr condition.
4. The son of a heyduk named Milloc, sixteen years old. The body
had lain in the grave nine weeks. He had died after three days’
indisposition, and was in the condition of a Vampyr.
5. Joachim, likewise son of a heyduk, seventeen years old. He had died
after three days’ illness; had been buried eight weeks and some days;
was found in the Vampyr state.
6. A woman of the name of Rusha, who had died of an illness of ten
days’ duration, and had been six weeks buried, in whom likewise fresh
blood was found in the chest.
(The reader will understand, that to _see_ blood in the chest, it is
first necessary to _cut_ the chest open.)
7. The body of a girl of ten years of age, who had died two months
before. It was likewise in the Vampyr state, perfectly undecomposed,
with blood in the chest.
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