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Alcoholism In Edgar Allen Poe's Death

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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. Poe was found and brought into the hospital in a trance-like state with symptoms matching alcohol poisoning. Dr. Moran treated him up until his death where he observed and evaluated him for alcohol poisoning. Dr. Moran said, “He remained thus unconscious. . . when he developed a tremor of the limbs. . . a busy but not violent delirium. His face was pale and he was drenched in sweat. He talked constantly addressing spectral and imaginary objects on the walls” (qtd. In Silverman 185). These symtoms are the effect of excessive drinking. Second, Poe also could’ve died from alcohol poisoning because of his past history of alcoholism. Before being found delirious outside of a tavern, Poe had an addictive personality, such as to gambling and over drinking. Poe also …show more content…

While some symptoms Poe exhibited matched rabies, doctors did not know enough about the disease back in the 1800’s. Dr. Benitez even admits the faults in his theory, “Lack of evidence of a bite or scratch. In those days rabies was known as to causes and symptoms, including itching and other sensations that could affect an entire limb or side of the body. . . Catrina [Poe’s pet cat], who, uninfected and and showing no signs of rabies” (qtd. In Pollin and Benedetto 189). The theory of rabies being Poe’s cause of death is unsupported and too

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This online article reviewed the many theories that surround the death of Edgar Allen Poe to date. The articled emphasized that the alcohol theory is the most commonly accepted cause of death recognized by majority of people. Even Poe’s good friend J.E. Snodgrass felt binge drinking caused his death. Other critics argued Poe was a victim of cooping, a practice that entailed bribing him with alcohol, thus forcing him to vote repeatedly in polling booths for a particular candidate, as Balitmore’s elections were notorious for political uproar and extortion. This would explain the conditions under which Poe was foundOthers suggested Poe died of other medical ailments ranging from brain tumors, heart disease, tuberculosis, rabies, epilepsy,

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There have been many theories about the death of Edgar A. Poe. Many of these theories includes brain tumor, heart disease, flu, alcoholism, rabies, etc. The stories have been supported but, how accurate are they? Out of all the different theories, alcoholism and rabies are the most accurate ones. But, the most common and accurate one is that Edgar A. Poe died because of rabies.

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It is ironic that the creator of the mystery genre died in the most curious way. The death of Edgar Allan Poe on October 7, 1859 in Baltimore is one which stumps historians and professors to this day (Semtner). Was his extreme alcoholism the cause of his downfall? Was he beat to death by those whose works he criticized? Or was he simply ill; both mentally and physically?

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The cause of Poe’s death is still widely debated today. Poe died of encephalitic rabies because of the likeness of Poe’s symptoms and those caused by rabies, Dr.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. Poe’s symptoms were very similar to those of rabies. Benitez says that Poe refused alcohol and could barely drink water: “Rabies victims frequently exhibit hydrophobia, or fear of water, because it is painful to swallow” (“Poe’s Death” 187). This statement by Benitez shows that he was hydrophobic and was not drinking anything.

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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.

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Many people who know Poe thought he died because of his drinking problems. Evidence: The text states, “Dr. Moran’s description of his sweating, shaking, and hallucinations show that alcohol may have caused his death. Many others who knew Poe,including Dr. Snodgrass, also thought he died from drinking too much alcohol.” Explanation:Because even Dr. Snodgrass agreed and thought that he died of overdrinking as well as the way that Dr. Moran described Poe’s condition which describes someone who overdrank. Topic Sentence:

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Death has always been an inevitable event that all of us are doomed to face. It is something that we cannot escape and we are all certain of its occurrence, however one thing that we are not certain of is the cause of death. A perfect example of this is Edgar Allan Poe’s death. Many theories have speculated about his tragic death and the two main causes of Poe’s deaths argued at the moment are death from rabies and death from alcoholism. Any individual could see both sides of the argument but the opinion with the disadvantage is that alcoholism was the cause of his death.

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Poe could be exaggerating the time period to show symptom

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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.

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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.

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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

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Edgar Allan Poe was an American author; he mainly focused in genres such as short stories and poems. Poe didn’t have much of an academic background in literature but, he excelled in it. Some people believe that his success was mostly due to the fact that his life was very sad, filled by a series on misfortunate events, such as being an orphan, suffering from poverty and being constantly surrounded by death. In his works, Poe portrays narratives that are characterized by their mystery and macabre. The topic of death was ever present in his work, constantly describe with dark moods and somewhat terrifying settings.

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