Professor Abraham Van Helsing is a character from the 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula. Van Helsing is an aged Dutch doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc, etc," indicating a wealth of experience, education and expertise. The character is best known throughout his many adaptations as a vampire hunter, monster hunter, and the archenemy of Count Dracula.