# Werewolves -- How do you stop them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181 "2011-05-25T17:50:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181/41 "2011-05-31T03:50:19Z")
The other thing is the whole stake through the heart, which modern vampire lore has completely misunderstood. You know why they hammered a wooden stake through the heart of a suspected vampire? You open the coffin, and there’s the dead corpse. Is it a vampire or just a dead guy? Well, if you nail it in place with a giant wooden stake it doesn’t matter, it’s not getting up to wander the night any time soon. ---
**Author:** ![FasterThanMeerkats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/278dde/32.png) [@FasterThanMeerkats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FasterThanMeerkats)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181/42 "2011-05-31T13:39:47Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > The other thing is the whole stake through the heart, which modern vampire lore has completely misunderstood. > > You know why they hammered a wooden stake through the heart of a suspected vampire? You open the coffin, and there’s the dead corpse. Is it a vampire or just a dead guy? Well, if you nail it in place with a giant wooden stake it doesn’t matter, it’s not getting up to wander the night any time soon. Nailing with wooden nails? I’m calling shenanigans! You’d at least have to use superglue or mighty putty.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181/43 "2011-05-31T14:08:32Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > And of course, silver. If a human-form werewolf is injured by _contact_ with silver (or maybe by inhaling dust with silver as a component?) and not just by being shot with it, weeding out the infected just became a whole lot easier. Hmmm…[colloidal silver](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_uses_of_silver#Alternative_medicine), perhaps in the public water supply, taken as a prophylactic, or administered at checkpoints? There are some [potential side effects, of course…](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria) On a related note, we’d really need some solid experimental data to determine the concentration of silver in a solution needed to be effective against werewolves before I can sign off on disseminating it as an aerosol through fighter-bomber spray tanks as an area-denial or anti-personnel measure. Conventional [water bombers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YMIIvn6TkY) might be more practical, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181/44 "2011-05-31T16:41:10Z")
It seems to me that the werewolves in Being Human are somewhat different from what a “traditional” werewolf is, mostly because of the whole scratch vs. bite aspect. Since it’s all fiction, however, the creators have the leeway to do what they want with their characters. Which leads me to wonder how these English-version werewolves react to big bowls of beef chow main or pina coladas. As I understand, the werewolves of London are big fans of them. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181/45 "2011-05-31T16:43:08Z")
> [@Imago](#): > > I always figured you had to be drained mostly dry of blood before drinking a vampire’s blood would make you a vampire. This is canonical according to _Buffy_. > [@Lamia](#): > > Stoker also describes Dracula as being able to take different forms, including that of a wolf, so the Count is arguably a kind of werewolf. It’s not clear whether he learned how to transform into a wolf while still alive or if this is something any vampire can do. Again, according to \*Buffy \*-- well, according to Spike, actually – it’s only Dracula. “Just showy Gipsy stuff”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-how-do-you-stop-them/583181.md?page=2)