AboutDana Krempels, Ph.D. Expertise I can answer biology-related questions in the areas of evolution, zoology, botany, genetics, and ecology. But I don't answer homework questions or provide ideas for your science fair projects. So students please do your learning the right way by reading your text assignments and studying!
Experience At the University of Miami, I teach Evolution and Biodiversity, Botany, Zoology, Genetics, Ecology, and a variety of seminars (e.g., the Biology and Evolution of Human Gender Roles).
Education/Credentials I have a B.S. in Biology and an A.B. in English from the University of Southern California (1980).
I earned my Ph.D. in Biology in the area of evolutionary biology/visual physiology from the University of Miami in 1989.
Past/Present Clients I am currently an "expert" in both the "Rabbits" and "Wild Animals" categories.
Question In my fictional story, I wanted a body to be found where it had been completely drained of blood (by a vampire). But I had to rethink this dramatic scene I wanted because of your expert scientific reply that seems to indicate it would be impossible to drain all the blood from the body. (I wanted it as a symbol of corporate greed) Is it impossible? If so, how can I indicate that a great deal, if not most of the blood was gone, and what the body looked like when the police found it?
Thanks.
Answer Dear Demetrius,
I'm not sure you have to abandon your idea of completely draining the body of blood. After all, these are vampires. So the reader is already going to be making a leap of faith here.
What if you gave your vampires some sort of special ability--akin to that of a alchemist who can effect chemical changes in matter by controlling them at the molecular level--to drain blood at the capillary level. It could contribute to the extra-scariness if the medical examiner tells the detectives that draining the body of every drop of blood is physically impossible, but that's what seems to have happened.
You just need to somehow explain that the vampires have this nearly supernatural power, though it may take them a bit longer to actually accomplish this feat than if they just slurped up all the blood out of the major vessels.
A body with no blood at all would be pretty much grey--like an embalmed corpse.
