What is porphyria, and why is it called “the vampire disease?
Porphyria is actually a group of diseases, all of which have to do with the metabolism of porphyrin, an essential ingredient in metabolising iron. It is a genetic disorder, and is in no way contagious. In 1964, in an article in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine, L. Illis proposed that porphyria might be an explanation for werewolf legends. More than 20 years later, in 1985, David Dolphin presented a paper at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science proposing that porphyria might be an explanation for vampire legends. What about porphyria made them make these statements? One of the varieties of porphyria, congenital erythropoietic porphyria, has among its possible symptoms severe light sensitivity, reddish-brown urine and teeth, mutilation of the nose, ears, eyelids, and fingers, an excess of body hair, and anemia. In addition, some kinds of porphyria are associated with epilepsy. However, there is no evidence that porphyrics have any sort of c
