In this form of hereditary porphyria, the skin becomes white with anemia and very sensitive to light. (Remember that vampires only come out at night.) The teeth of Porphyria victims become reddish and even glow under ultraviolet light. Hair grows faster and thicker than usual; and sores on the skin can develop that eventually erode away the nose or fingers. Could this pale, hairy, deformed creature of the night be a vampire?And what about the garlic? People with porphyria do well to stay away from garlic, which contains a chemical known to aggravate the symptoms of this disease. Of course porphyria victims don’t suck blood from people’s necks, and even if they did, the bite wouldn’t transmit the disease. However, the inability of some people to break down their own hemoglobin may have given Bram Stoker a model for his legend of Dracula.