The titular character of Dracula and his 3 vampire seductresses’ use of blood to maintain their youth raises many questions about immortality. Thematically, blood has served countless roles throughout literary and religious history, whether symbolizing familial bonds or as an offering in the form of blood sacrifices to appease the gods. Consequently the role of blood as a symbol and functional aspect of biology has changed over time to reflect new understandings and shifts in thinking.
Dracula sits at the intersection between the use of blood as both a symbol of traditional superstition and modern medical practice. Early medical practices stemming from antiquity used a ‘humors’ system, whereby bodily fluids such as blood and bile were to be kept in balance, and when out of balance, led to sickness. A widespread practice that resulted from this way of thinking is known as bloodletting, whereby a vein or artery was punctured and blood was drained from the patient to restore the balance of their humors. Eventually bloodletting fell into disuse, however the practice lasted well into the 19th century.
I believe on some level, Dracula serves as a form of commentary on this antiquated practice by comparing the blood-draining tendencies of vampires to the outdated practice of bloodletting, all while commenting on the pursuit of immortality.
Dr. Seward takes on the patient Renfield, who is “unlike the normal lunatic … [and is] determined to understand him as well as [he] can.” (68) Renfield potentially serves as the embodiment of humanities attempts at finding immortality. Seeing it as an age old pursuit that he gets “nearer than ever before to the heart of this mystery.” (68) The secret of which lies in our understanding of blood, with humanities perception of it being backwards, maybe the vampires actually are on to something?
As the novel progresses and Lucy is fed on by a vampire, her blood is drained and her health deteriorates. Dr. Seward cannot determine what afflicts Lucy and so calls for the help of Dr. Van Helsing. When Van Helsing sees the ghostly pallor of Lucy’s cheeks he notes “she will die for sheer want of blood to keep the heart’s actions as it should be. There must be a transfusion of blood at once.” (131) Following the blood transfusion, Lucy’s health quickly improves, drawing the distinction between the effects of bloodletting, as symbolized by the affects of a vampire feeding, and the life-restoring effects of blood-transfusing. This connection is further supported by Dr. Seward’s comments following a second transfusion using his own blood whereby he claims that “no man knows till he experiences it, what it is to feel his own life-blood drawn away in the veins of the woman he loves.” (138) Stoker quite literally defines the substance as “life-blood,” with them being one and the same.
The idea that Bram Stoker is making a connection “between the use of blood as both traditional superstition and modern medical practice” is interesting because science is all about answering hypothesis, myths, and superstitions with logical thinking and understanding of why a certain treatment works. However, it appeared to me that Dr. Seward agreed upon allowing Lucy to be transfused with people’s blood without answering the question “how is this treatment working?”. Which doesn’t really add up to his diary entry in Chapter 6, where Dr. Seward appears so obsessed with diagnosing Renfield and understanding why he kills everything in the particular order. Dr. Seward then goes to the extent of studying his every move until he can properly diagnose his illness. However, when it comes to diagnosing Lucy he allows superstition to take control over him because he is in love with her. This leads me to another connection Stroker may be making between emotions and superstition, and that people are willing to believe anything as long as it comforts their strong emotions.
Clearly, blood does play a crucial role within Dracula, and continues to be a stigmatized obsession for vampires in current day entertainment. Blood is apparent in many ways throughout the novel, just like the blog post author mentioned. Count Dracula craves it, Lucy needs it, and the four men give it up to her in order to try to save her life. Another instance of a blood scene in Dracula is when the patient Renfield slices Dr. Seward’s wrist with a knife. He then proceeds to lick the pool of blood that dropped onto the floor. This is an instance of another radical way of handling blood within this story. I am eager to see what other ways blood will be used within future events of Dracula.