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Edgar Allan Poe Rabies Theory

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Edgar Allan Poe’s Mysterious Death Have you ever been watching a movie so scary that it gave you nightmares? The father of all scary movies, Edgar Allan Poe, was a very mysterious man even at his death. Poe wrote very many mysterious and spooky stories that set the standard for the horror genre as we know it today. It seems almost fitting that even Poe’s real life was mysterious, as nobody know for sure how he actually died. 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. Also, Dr. Henry Wilde said Poe “had all of the features encephalitic rabies,” so the symptoms of encephalitis …show more content…

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

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Edgar Allan Poe Alcoholism Theory

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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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What Are The Theories Of Poe's Death

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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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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).

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Why Edgar Allan Poe Died From Rabies Analysis

486 Words | 2 Pages

The reasons people believe Poe died from rabies is because in one of the letters Dr. Benitez says “Poe refused alcohol and could drink water only with great difficulty, rabies victims exhibit hydrophobia”. If Poe had been drinking he would have taken the alcohol, this shows he may have had something else. Another thing that Dr. Benitez said was “there was no evidence of a bite but some rabies victims don’t remember being bitten”. This shows that he could have been bitten a long time ago and couldn’t remember.

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Suffering In The Masque Of The Red Death

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Interprettive Essay: The Tell-Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe

728 Words | 3 Pages

The author writes, “The disease had sharpened my senses - not destroyed - not dulled them.” (Poe, 1843) This text describes that the killer has a mental disorder. Poe also writes, “‘Villains!’ I shrieked, “dissemble no more” I admit the deed! - tear up the planks - here, here!

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478 Words | 2 Pages

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).

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Edgar Allan Poe's Death Essay

501 Words | 3 Pages

Although some people feel that Poe was killed by Rabies. Evidence:The text states, “ On his fourth day at the

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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.

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An Analysis Of Edgar Allen Poe's Vocabulary

1590 Words | 7 Pages

The scary tone has a trend through all of his stories which makes the reader more engaged. In “The Tell Tale Heart” Poe talks about death and how an eye viewed as, “an evil eye” could cause someone to kill. It took some time, but Poe lead the whole story up to the gruesome murder scene. “First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and then the legs.

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The Importance Of Death In Poe's Works

873 Words | 4 Pages

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855 Words | 4 Pages

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2063 Words | 9 Pages

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