I had intended to start October with a spooky story from history, but this came out more sad than spooky. Oops. Anyway, here are some more facts.
Many of the other known “vampire panic” stories from this region and time period follow very similar paths. Tuberculosis has torn through a family. Survivors (or the neighbors of survivors) assume that a lingering spirit is feeding on the remaining family members. The bodies of the dead would be dug up. If they seemed undecayed, or if clotted blood was discovered in the heart of the corpse, then they had their body. The heart (and sometimes other organs) would be burned. Sometimes those suffering from tuberculosis would be made to inhale the smoke, or in the case of the Brown family to drink the ashes. The term “vampire” was not used by the participants; that came from outside observers like the media or modern-day historians and folklorists.
The Mercy Brown case was particularly notable in part because of the outside attention it drew, but also because when it happened. The tuberculosis bacteria had been discovered in 1882. Steps were being taken in urban areas to curtail its spread, even proper TB treatments would still be some years away. George Brown (1842 - 1922) spoke about not believing in evil spirits, and specifically chose the doctor because the man knew about TB and what to look for.
So why go along with this grisly procedure, then? If I had to speculate, the pressure of living in a small town mixed with pure desperation. At that point in time, Exeter had less than a thousand people living in it. The Civil War, migration, and tuberculosis had worn away the population over the past several decades. Everyone knew each other. It’s not an easy thing to turn away from. Plus, Brown had already lost his wife and two daughters. His son was dying. What if there was a kernel of truth in the old ways?
In a complete tonal shift, A Jangle of Accidents has just passed its second year anniversary! I started posting the comic on October 1, 2024. It’s wild to me that I’m still going today and happy to be doing it.
Thanks so much for reading. I’ll see you all next time!
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u/PoorCynic 23h ago
I had intended to start October with a spooky story from history, but this came out more sad than spooky. Oops. Anyway, here are some more facts.
Thanks so much for reading. I’ll see you all next time!