Science before science

Blood occupies a central part of the human psyche. It has long been regarded as essential for life, and as a source of the life force itself. Every civilization possesses records which chart the human fascination with blood and bloodletting in terms of both ritual and medicine. As a basis for the understanding of the field of haematology, it is important to ground the study in the cultural history of the substance giving rise to the topic. In this chapter, the attitudes of the ancient Greeks (including Herodotus and Pythagoras), Islamic scholars (such as Ibn al-Nafis), Chinese medicine, and Indian medicine towards blood is discussed, as are the modern vampire legends.