Did Arthur Dimmesdale perish from natural causes, or was he murdered? Who Killed Arthur Dimmesdale by Perry Turner brings some interesting discussions to the table. Turner points out how the potential murderer, symptoms of Chillingworth’s illness, and what the illness could be are all connected to the death of this essential character. Who would do such a crime against Dimmsdale? As Turner describes it, “Hester's husband, the physician Roger Chillingworth, uncovers the culprit and insidiously torments him...” (Turner). It was obvious from the novel that only Chillingworth would have any reason to torture such a man. His motives of avenging his marriage were quite strong. Another piece of evidence by Turner is when Chillingworth is described as“...a captive of the Indians, Chillingworth "had gained much knowledge of the properties of native herbs and roots."” (Turner). Chillingworth knew how to hurt such a man with his medical knowledge. His intelligence with herbs allows him to know what hurts, and what kills. The first step to know what Chillingworth poisoned Dimmesdale with is to look at the sinner’s symptoms. …show more content…
The article lists off his symptoms as “..flushed appearance, chest pain, muscular incoordination, convulsions, dilated pupils, hallucinations , speech difficulties and a rash.” (Dr. Jemshed A. Khan). If we look at these traits closely, we may found the disease that took Dimmesdale’s life. Within another instance within The Scarlet Letter, we see him “...put his hand over his heart, with first a flush and then a paleness...." (Nathaniel Hawthorne). This will help to narrow down the possible causes of death greatly, seeing how it is heart