Traité Sur Les Apparitions Des Esprits. 1746 The 18th century enlightenment saw an increased awareness of science which contradicted previous superstition and folk belief, however despite the scientific discoveries a juxtaposition of the existence of the folk beliefs persisted, especially in the belief in supernatural creatures such as vampires. In fact the early 18th century can be said to have codified and solidified the vampirism myth in the public imagination. Recorded from ancient time, it was during the 18th century that an influx of vampire superstition entered into Western Europe from Eastern Europe, resulting in a mass hysteria (called the ‘18th-Century Vampire Controversy’) accusations of vampirism exploded and corpses were staked through the heart, or the heads were removed. In 1746 the French Benedictine monk Antoine Augustin Calmet, (26 February 1672 – 25 October 1757), wrote his comprehensive treatise upon vampires, from sources and collected reports from the hysteria.