Could Zombification be real ?

Matt Boiselle We as fans of the undead revel in the fiction and storylines that entertain us not only in books, but movies & videogames as well. There is a certain sense of satisfaction that comes over zombie enthusiasts when we witness the images of the infected wreaking havoc on the unsuspecting and overwhelmed victims that are soon to become a human buffet for the living dead.

But what if the things that have entertained us for so long had come true ? Would we as a collective group be excited or terrified to know that zombies may have genuinely been around ? According to a British medical journal, The Lancet, back in 1997 there were 3 documented cases of real " zombification" in Haiti. Now these aren't the zombies which alot of us have come to know over the years like what we've seen on TV and in the movies, but real people that were stricken, or cursed by voodoo practices. While no exact names were given in the report, the patients names were only revealed as initials, and each case described in detail the actions and effects of their particular "affliction".

Zombification is such a serious problem with Haitian lawmakers, that according to penal code article 246 - turning another person into a zombie is considered murder. Although the exact causes of the three cases continues to be debated, many have dismissed the patients situations as people suffering from mental illnesses and other disabilities. All in all the article is a very interesting read and sheds a lot of light on the voodoo practice of zombifying a human ( not that it should be attempted ! ) The story is available as a pdf file download and can be accessed by clicking on the picture above the story. Read it and decide for yourself, could it be real, and if so, would we as a society want it to be real ?