39. Or burying coma victims alive…
These days, when someone slips into a coma, they’re put on life-support in the hope that they’ll wake up. But we know how to check for vital signs: not many people did until pretty recently. In the ancient world, it’s reasonable to assume that lots of people were buried alive, presumed dead. Historians also suggest the sound of people waking up in a coffin, frantically scratching the lid, and shouting for help, may have also led to the vampire myth. Indeed, only last year, a Brazilian woman was dug up alive after people heard scratches coming from her fresh grave…
