Vlad III, often known as Vlad the Impaler, was a prince and military commander in the 15th century whose fearsome persona is supposed to have served as the model for Count Dracula from Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.
Life-size portrait from the Esterházy ancestral gallery of Forchtenstein Castle/Burgenland. source - Public Domain
His health is now being revealed in new ways thanks to a scientific analysis of his writings. According to researchers who have now published their findings in ACS' Analytical Chemistry, Vlad most likely suffered from respiratory and skin diseases, and it's even possible that he shed actual bloody tears.
Vlad III, Voivode of Wallachia, the legendary figure's full name, resided in the southern part of Romania around the middle of the fourteenth century. Of course, there is no proof that Vlad III was a vampire, but his cruelty is what made him so dreaded.
His death toll has been estimated to be over 80,000, with many of them dying from impalement, giving him the nickname. He was also known as Vlad Draculea, which means "the son of the dragon," and which many people believe served as the model for the title character in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.
Despite the fact that Vlad's rule was almost 500 years ago, several relics have survived, including several letters he wrote at various stages in his life.
Scientists can gain a unique insight of the life and times of people from the past because to the chemicals and proteins found on documents and other artifacts of the past.
As a result, Vincenzo Cunsolo and his associates decided to look into these letters for the first time in order to discover more about Vlad Draculea's health and living conditions.
In order to extract any proteins or tiny molecules from the paper without harming it, the researchers employed a specific plastic film known as EVA, or ethylene-vinyl acetate, to reveal the secrets of the letters.
Following mass spectrometric analysis of these samples, the researchers were able to characterize thousands of different peptides. The scientists concentrated on those that had the most advanced deamidation, a type of protein deterioration that happens as people age.
This letter written by Vlad the Impaler in 1475 contains proteins that suggest he suffered from respiratory problems and bloodied tears. Credit: Adapted from Analytical Chemistry, 2023, DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c01461
In comparison to fresher, less-degraded proteins that could have come from other persons handling the letters more recently, which were presumably the most recent proteins, they are most likely to be from Vlad.
A total of 16 proteins, including those involved in skin, respiration, and blood, were of human origin. The data the researchers gathered, according to them, while not thorough, point to the possibility that Vlad may have had respiratory problems or perhaps a disorder called hemolacria, which would have caused him to cry bloody tears—quite fitting for such a terrifying character.
Other proteins found by the study suggest that he might have been exposed to specific bacteria linked to the plague or even bothersome fruit flies. Overall, the researchers claim that their effort contributes to our understanding of certain significant historical texts and the authors who may have penned them.
