#38: Gerard van Swieten, Vampire Hunter
Most of us know Van Helsing from the iconic Hugh Jackman movie, but he was first a character in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. This famous Dutch doctor turned vampire hunter is known as Dracula’s arch-nemesis, and his character reflects a very real cultural moment in Europe. There were many intellectuals who studied vampire folklore, tried to debunk vampire lore, and even hunted these mythical creatures.
It’s said that Van Helsing was inspired by one intellectual in particular: Gerard van Swieten. Van Swieten was the personal physician of Holy Roman Empress Maria Theresa, and he spent a large part of his career researching vampires and debunking myths in 18th-century Serbia. He can be considered a vampire hunter, in a way, since his main goal was to stamp out any superstition or “old world” beliefs in the creatures.