archetype: The original idea, image, or model after which other things are patterned; for example, the image of the vampire in the novel Dracula is an archetype for all other vampires.

contagion: A situation in which a disease is transmitted by contact with the infected body, air, or environment (i.e., contaminated river water); contagion occurs with transmission of such diseases as the plague, tuberculosis, or typhoid.

folklore: The traditional beliefs, practices, legends, and tales of a people that are passed from one generation to another through oral accounts.

forensic: Of or used in legal proceedings and public debate; often refers to medical or scientific evidence surrounding the processes of decomposition and crime—scene evidence.

group vampirism: A type of psychic vampirism that takes place among members of a group; this type of vampirism can be found within both informal and formal organizations.

host victim: The individual...