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[The New England Vampire Panic: Unraveling the History of Consumption]-[Episode 264: The New England Vampire Panic]

Morbid · B2 · 2021-09-19

True crime
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📋 Summary

The Historical Context of the New England Vampire Panic

In this episode of Morbid, hosts Ash and Alayna delve into a haunting chapter of American history: the "vampire panic" that gripped New England during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. While modern audiences associate vampires with folklore and gothic fiction, this panic was rooted in a desperate, unscientific attempt to explain the rapid spread of a lethal disease known as "consumption"—which we now identify as tuberculosis.

The Scourge of Consumption

Consumption was a terrifying reality for early New Englanders. It was dubbed the "Great White Plague" due to the deathly pallor it caused in its victims. The hosts describe the disease's horrific progression, noting that sufferers would experience a "crazy hacking cough" that eventually resulted in spewing blood. Because the transmission of diseases was not understood, families were often wiped out one by one as they lived in close quarters, "sleeping in the same room with 14 brothers and sisters just spewing all over each other." The lack of understanding meant that instead of quarantine, people relied on bizarre folk remedies, such as "drinking brown sugar in water" or "frequent horseback riding" to inhale fresh air, both of which failed to curb the outbreak.

The Birth of the Vampire Superstition

As families watched their loved ones "waste away" due to an "unseen force," they turned to supernatural explanations. The belief emerged that the first family member to die of consumption was not truly at rest; rather, an "evil entity" was using their body as a host to drain the life force of the living. This belief led to the common practice of exhuming the bodies of the deceased to check for "fresh blood" in the heart. If the heart contained liquid blood, it was considered proof of vampirism. The hosts emphasize that this was not a fringe belief; it was a serious, socially accepted practice, often discussed in local "public houses" or taverns, which served as the hubs for news and gossip.

Infamous Cases and Rituals

  • The Griswold, Connecticut Discovery: In 1990, children playing in a gravel pit discovered human remains that led to the identification of the Walton Family Cemetery. One coffin, marked "JB55," contained a skeleton that had been "intentionally disarticulated." The skull and femurs were arranged in a cross—a desperate attempt by survivors to stop the "vampiric activity" that had claimed their family members.
  • The Jewett City Vampires: The Ray family, plagued by consumption, eventually resorted to exhuming their deceased relatives and burning their remains in a "huge bonfire on site" in a futile attempt to break the curse.
  • Mercy Lena Brown: Perhaps the most famous case, occurring in 1892. After Mercy died of consumption, her brother Edwin was forced to consume the ashes of her exhumed heart and liver, a ritual believed to be a cure. Tragically, Edwin died shortly thereafter.

Reflection on Mortality and Folklore

The episode concludes by connecting these historical events to the works of Edgar Allan Poe, particularly The Mask of the Red Death. The hosts argue that Poe’s writing captures the same fear of a plague that "leaps the bounds of class," affecting both the rich and the poor. By looking at these "gnarly" and "intense" historical practices, the hosts highlight the human desperation that arises in the face of the unknown. While the rituals—like flipping corpses on their faces or burning hearts—seem "fucking creepy" to us today, they serve as a stark reminder of a time when people were "powerless to stop" the agonizing loss of their families to a disease they could neither name nor control.

🎯Key Sentences

1
Stuff is just happening.
2
They have some kind of cap on it.
3
He's not missing.
4
That's what they say to police.
5
Let's keep talking about it.
Expand All

📝Key Phrases

1
kick back and relax
2
bring your color to life
3
touch upon
4
on the run
5
holding out hope
Expand All

📖 Transcript

Hey weirdos, Elena here. If you're looking to kick back and relax with Morbid, Wondery Plus is the way to go. it's like having a cozy seat in our haunted mansion no ads just you and early access to new episodes You can join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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