Dawson Benner- A Disease with a Bite Summary- Period 3- 2/20/18

In Disease with a Bite, Dang’s purpose is to explain to us how Stoker may have been writing about a disease, not just vampires.
Cholera, a common disease, is used as a main support for this argument. To support his argument, Dang uses Dracula quotes,
evidence from the Victorian era, and prior research. His use of many different sources adds credibility and variety, making the
article interesting and informative.

Dracula is a novel by Bram Stoker that is not just about vampirism but about theories of disease at the time. Back then,
contagious diseases were a novel idea. Not many people knew about how germs spread, so ailments were often thought to be
symptoms of the paranormal. As Dang says, “These words [nausea, shudder, rank] are not only used to describe an encounter
with Dracula, but are also used in describing illness.” (2) In the Victorian Era, knowledge of epidemiology was limited, and
vampirism is portrayed as a disease by its means of transportation and cures.

Many of Stoker’s relatives had work in the medical field, so it was through them that Stoker likely got his information on
diseases and vampirism. Vampirism as a sexually transmitted disease is also probably derived from Stoker’s infidelity and
consequences. Cholera, a water-borne disease, was an inspiration too, since it was thought to be non-spreadable. This meant,
at the time, that another force was behind the deaths of the “infected.” Now, we know the disease is highly contagious and a
result of poor sanitization. Dang uses cholera and its spread as likely evidence for the foundation of Dracula.

Just like cholera, Dracula is hindered by clean water; this strengthens Dang’s point that cholera was a source for vampirism.
Cholera was thought to be miasmatic, meaning it was contracted from clouds or fogs of sickness. “Similar to the miasmatic
belief that diseases are contracted from… mists and fogs, Dracula can transform himself into these various forms.” (5) In
Dracula’s lairs, there were also dense fogs and odors. All characters who have been attacked from Dracula notice a thick mist
coming towards them. Dang uses text evidence to support his claim that Dracula is about diseases instead of only vampires.

Contagionism states that diseases are passed through close contact, which corresponds with vampirism; Dracula spreads his
“disease” with a bite. Contagionism also states that the way to defeat a disease is to isolate it. “Also, contagionists believed that
the repression of a disease began with the containment of the individual believed to be contagious.” (6) Again, Stoker
incorporates this into his novel, with Dracula being secluded to his lairs and coffins. Dracula arrived at England on a ship, and
many diseases were spread around the world by merchants. Cholera victims were also isolated, similar to the treatment of
vampires in Dracula. In this section, Dang uses real-world examples from Victorian era to enforce his theme of a link between
vampires and diseases.

Germ theory actually explains the spread of diseases through microorganisms in the air and water. They were thought to be
specks of dust found in miasmas. Dang quotes an excerpt from Dracula where he takes the form of small specks. “Such germs
are suggested by the cloud of little specks that constitutes one of the many forms that a vampire may take.” (7) This method
allows Dracula to enter places he previously could not go, like cracks in a wall. Again, germ theory is exhibited with the spread
of cholera, a disease already strongly linked to vampires and Dracula. Dang combines text evidence and scientific principles of
the time to link germ theory with his previous arguments.

Dang goes on to link vampirism to animals, like Stoker did. The notion that vampires spread their disease through animals came
with the correlation of sick areas and animals like rats. “Dracula also had the power to control rats, which played a major role in
the Bubonic Plague.” (8) We now know that, from their food sources, rats are carriers of diseases like rabies. Rabies leads
individuals to go crazy and bite others, symptoms exhibited by Renfield. The weakness to garlic was also purposely added by
Stoker to reflect its natural healing properties. It was even rumored to treat cholera. To support these claims, Dang takes
information from studies conducted previously.

The encounter with three vampire women is Stoker’s way of conveying the theme of sexually transmitted diseases. Syphilis was
extremely common in this era, which could spread to children and wives of infected men. “Many believed that venereal
diseases were therefore the result of the moral and societal decay in England.” (10) Dracula, portrayed as an evil being, would
exhibit an obvious link to syphilis and its transfer through bodily fluids (blood). The vampire women were Stoker’s portrayal of
prostitutes. The disease also turns innocent Lucy into a similar monster as the women, shown by her interactions with other
characters after transforming. Dang backs up the argument of vampirism being sexually transmitted with Stoker’s use of
temptresses and evidence from the Victorian era.

To conclude, Dang’s purpose is to educate us on the link between disease and vampirism in Dracula. To do this, he uses direct
quotes from Stoker. Another source of information is facts from the time period gathered by researchers. The given technology
and knowledge of the Victorian era constitute a third support of his claim. By combining information from multiple sources,
Dang weaves a strong, well-supported argument that highlights and explains the sub-textual references to disease by Stoker.