Edgar Allan Poe Research Paper

486 Words2 Pages

John Neace
English 9A
13 November 2017 How did Edgar Allen Poe really meet his tragic demise?
Edgar Allan Poe perhaps one of the greatest writers of tragedy but what of the biggest mystery including Edgar Allen Poe his mysterious demise what killed him Rabies or Alcohol?
It is believed that Poe died from Alcohol. but I believe not I believe it was Rabies. the true story perhaps we'll never know.
However, there are arguments on both sides. some not as strong as others but I believe that rabies outweighs Alcohol. I believe Rabies because he experienced symptoms of Rabies. you could say that's just alcohol poisoning but Poe had sobered down since his wild younger days. Many people believe Poe died of Alcohol. However, he died of Rabies. …show more content…

The alcohol theory is very heavily outweighed by many facts. Like location, Cause of death.
Poe died of Rabies because he was most likely bitten by a wild rabid animal on his way back to Virginia. Poe may have been bitten by a rabid animal but we know his cat did not have rabies so Poe had to have been bitten or scratched by a rabid animal. Poe may or may not have been bitten by an animal and somehow just contracted rabies. Although Poe was found outside a bar in someone else's clothes he was not drunk. Again, a reason the Alcohol theory has no real proof. Dr. Henry Wilde said "Poe had all the features of Encephalitic Rabies". It gives a solid backbone for the Rabies theory to fall back on.
He had the classic case of rabies. Dr. Benitez claims he had a classic case of rabies. Again, Strengthens the Rabies theory. Poe refused Alcohol and could drink water only with great difficulty. Rabies victims frequently exhibit Hydrophobia, or fear of water. Yet another layer of proof. He couldn't drink Alcohol because he didn't want it. 23 Reported cases of human rabies yet on 24% of victims recall an appropriate amount of animal exposure. It means most people don't remember being attacked by the