Vampires in New England

John Walters's picture
By John Walters on Wednesday, October 31, 2001.
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Tuberculosis was rampant in the 19th Century, but its cause was unknown. As families were stricken one after another, some came to believe that the dead were feeding off the living. Folklorist Michael Bell uncovered many cases in all the New England states in which the dead relatives of those stricken with TB were dug up and mutilated in an attempt to cure the sick. The stories are told in Michael's new book, "Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England's Vampires".

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