In 2001, as editor I brought out Michael E. Bell& #39;s "Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England& #39;s Vampires," a superb&surprising book that revealed a 19th C folk-medical practice that desperate families afflicted by tuberculosis—aka consumption—hoped would heal the sick. 1/3

The practice was an exhumation ritual, undertaken because the living feared the dead could be infecting the living. Now, 20 years later, I am Bell& #39;s agent&we are submitting his new book to publishers, "The Vampire& #39;s Grasp: Consumption & Death in New England, 1794-1900." 2/3

Bell& #39;s work is relevant amid #coronavirus bc it reveals how our forebears addressed an epidemic in their time. Bell& #39;s just done a good intv w/ @Toothpickings. https://youtu.be/N-7hcS8l19k ">https://youtu.be/N-7hcS8l1... More info on this thread to come as the new book moves toward publication. #vampires #tuberculosis