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Edgar Allen Poe's Cause Of Death

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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

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