ipl-logo

Edgar Allen Poe's Cause Of Death

464 Words2 Pages

Poe 's Cause of Death Edgar Allen Poe 's death has been the topic of discussion for many historians and scholars for many years. The reason for his demise has been unsolved, because of the many different sources explaining his death. From what I 've learned from reading counts of Poe 's death, I 've concluded that Edgar Allen Poe died of rabies, rather than alcoholic intoxication. The reason why I believe it is rabies is because his symptoms were too severe and life threatening to be related to just alcohol. One reason of why I believe Poe died of rabies is because he exhibited signs and symptoms of late effects of rabies. As Dr. R. Michael Benitez said, Poe grew "confused and belligerent, then quieted down and died". He also stated …show more content…

Another reason of why I believe he died of rabies is because Dr. Benitez reported him having a hard time drinking water or alcohol. In the New York Times article, he states, "In the brief period when he was calm and awake, Poe refused alcohol and could drink water only with great difficulty." This supports the idea that he suffered from hydrophobia, the fear of water. It was painful for Poe to swallow the water, and this suggests that he prefered to drink nothing. Severe Intoxication will not keep someone from being near water, nor can it cause intolerable pain when water is drunk, so his death must be something more than just a story of a belligerent drunk. The final reason of why I believe that Poe died of rabies is because the idea that alcohol was the cause of his death does not support all the records of his condition days before he died. Though it is true that alcohol does cause many to forget about certain things, such as protecting one 's self from the harsh elements, it does not support the fact that Poe did not enjoy drinking anything while he was being hospitalized. It also cannot explain his severe hallucinations, imaginary friends, and outbursts of histeria and shouting. The idea that he may have had symptoms of rabies seems more plausible than just being really drunk. In conclusion, I believe that Edgar Allen Poe unfortunately died of symptoms of rabies, and not alcohol. Even though we will never truly know the reason for his death, rabies

Show More
Related

  • Theories Postulating Edgar Allan Poe's Death

    77 Words  | 1 Pages

    There are multiple theories postulating Edgar Allan Poe’s death. Finding concrete evidence for his death theories is difficult, as there are very few accounts of the events that occurred prior to and after his passing. Edgar Allan Poe was constantly troubled during his life, and wanted to extricate himself from his excruciating emotional pain. In order to numb his pain he resorted to excessive drinking. The alcohol theory clarifies the cause of death of Edgar Allan

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Rabies Theory

    656 Words  | 3 Pages

    Benitez backs his rabies theory up with irrefutable scientific evidence, also Pollin and Benedetto try to disprove the scientific evidence provided by Dr. Benitez with false information that portrays them as unreliable sources. This all seems to point to the idea that Poe died of rabies. With all of this evidence pointing towards Poe dying of rabies, it is very likely that this was the cause of his death, but nobody can know for sure, which seems fitting for the man who is responsible for every fright a scary movie will ever give you. This is why he is widely regarded as the father of the horror

    Read More

  • How Does Life Affect Poe's Work

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was an all around admired poet, but very few tend to actually learning about what made his horrific stories come to life. Many can say it was the loss of loved ones, including his parents and his wife. Others will argue that it was under the influence of alcohol. Although the reasoning is not written on paper, there is a worldwide assumption that all of these more than likely played a key factor in his dark

    Read More

  • Causes Of Edgar Allan Poe's Death

    248 Words  | 1 Pages

    Many said Edger Allan Poe died of rabies or alcohol, but l have another idea of his death. In fact, to me , he died because of a brain tumor, that alcohol helped aid into his death. One reason I believed he died of a brain tumor, is Matthew Pearl notice a chimp on Poe’s skull , 3 decades later. He consult forensic pathologist, who believed this was a brain tumor.

    Read More

  • Why Edgar Allan Poe Died From Rabies Analysis

    486 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe was a great but tortured poet that had a terrible life. He also had a terrible and mysterious death. An opinion on how Poe died was from encephalitic rabies. The evidence is from letters sent to a collage supporting the theory on how he died. How he could have died from it, is because the symptoms can stay in your body without showing symptoms.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Annabel Lee And The Raven

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edgar Allan Poe had experienced a loss multiple times. Poe married his cousin when she was 13, he was 27. Both of Poe’s parents died in 1811 and so he was raised as a foster child. In the poem “Annabel Lee” he talks about how his love Annabel Lee passed away. In the poem “The Raven” he talks about his love, Lenore passing away and The Raven comes to him and is repetitive.

    Read More

  • Did Cooping Cause The Death Of Edgar Allan Poe

    663 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poe struggled with alcoholism for most of his life(Geiling). With this in mind, it is not surprising that someone related to cooping could easily tempt Poe with alcohol and get him drunk to a dangerous point. Another factor that could have contributed to his death is illness. Whilst preparing for his departure for Richmond during his final days, Poe contacted a physician due to weak pulse and fever; the doctor told him he was not fit for travel, yet Poe traveled anyway (Geiling). In addition, years later after having Poe’s body exhumed and reburied, a mass was found rolling around inside of his skull (Harris).

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe's Death Cause Of Rabies

    179 Words  | 1 Pages

    Poe’s Death Caused Of Rabies Poe’s death is very debatable, some believe that he died from rabies and others think that he died from alcohol poisoning. Evidence is shown for both topics but the one i believe is that he died from rabies. Poe was not only drinking alcohol but he was also very sick.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Mental Illness In Edgar Allan Poe

    1470 Words  | 6 Pages

    Gathering all the evidence, I believe that Edgar Allan Poe was a victim of schizophrenia. Although no one can be sure, considering no one was able to diagnose him, the symptoms do add up. Without all of our medical advances, no one can imagine what Poe went through his life. He may have let his feelings and thoughts flow into his numerous pieces of writing. Whether his feelings and emotions flowed into his writing, or he purposely wrote his stories like that, which would make him an even better writer.

    Read More

  • Alcoholism In Edgar Allen Poe's Death

    478 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the very beginning of Edgar Allen Poe’s life, he was a mystery. But the most mysterious thing about his life is his death. The lack of information on how he died leads to several theories, which writers and experts have researched and it's come down to either alcohol or rabies. There is one reasonable explanation of how he dies, alcohol poisoning. There were many signs Poe showed related with alcohol poisoning, he had a past of drinking, and there is little evidence that rabies was the cause.

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Research Paper

    1184 Words  | 5 Pages

    Not only did his writing begin to take off at this time, but his love life too, as stated by the database, “In 1836, Poe married his cousin Virginia--at the time 13 years old--and moved to Richmond to live with his bride and mother-in-law,” (“Edgar Allan Poe,” 1998). Following up the marriage came some of Poe’s popular works such as “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and “Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque.” However, 1843 brought sorrow to Poe as his beautiful wife, Virginia, began showing signs of tuberculosis just as his own mother had, and soon enough it killed her, (1998). Having no other resort or comfort, Poe’s depression made him turn to alcohol. However, this sorrow brought forth the publication of Poe’s poem titled “The Raven,” which gave him the most fame as a writer.

    Read More

  • How Did Edgar Allan Poe Have Rabies

    569 Words  | 3 Pages

    Snotgrass tributed his death to a lethal amount of alcohol. Also, some newspapers said he died from ''congestion at the brain.'' They said Poe drank so much alcohol and did not care about getting sick. Which could have also caused congestion on his brain and could've took a big part in Poe's

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Research Paper

    1118 Words  | 5 Pages

    (http://www.eapoe.org/ ). From this you can conclude that Poe might have just drunk, because his brother and dad were doing it so he followed in their footsteps not knowing any different. All these things show how Poe wasn’t using drugs and his alcohol

    Read More

  • Examples Of Human Nature In The Black Cat

    588 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the story, the narrator becomes addicted to alcohol, causing his many violent acts. He describes it as a disease that, “...grew upon me—for what disease is like Alcohol!—even Pluto began to experience the effects of my ill temper.” (Poe, 2) Addiction is most likely one of the most dangerous of human nature because it can consume your life. Poe even includes that the narrator’s, “...original soul seemed, at once, to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame.” (Poe, 2) Poe takes this idea to an extreme, but brings the attention to the detrimental effects of letting any one thing have too much possession of your

    Read More

  • Edgar Allan Poe Writing Style Essay

    855 Words  | 4 Pages

    Though Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories like, The Cask of Amontillado, to his poems like, The Raven, Poe’s shows his writing style to use physical imagery and connotative syntax to show ,imagery in his writing. Throughout his life, Poe had always lived through the most chaotic and evil of time. His parents died while he was 3 years old. After his parents died, he lived with another family member who never accepted him as their own son. Later on in life, Poe had served in the military and at that point he started writing poems.

    Read More

More about Edgar Allen Poe's Cause Of Death

Open Document