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What Happened To Edgar Allan Poe's Death

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There are many speculations as to what exactly happened to Edgar Allan Poe in his death. Many people assume different things. From Henry Herring -Poe’s uncle by marriage- poisoning him, to him dying of rabies. However, it could have been much simpler that that, which also seems to be more fathomable, is the theory that is Poe died running a fever after passing out drunk. Poe was a great man, full of stories and ideas that changed the world of literature. He was an astounding writer, and father of the crime mystery. However, he was not such a wonderful man in life, as he was in the stories he was known for. He was a drunkard, and when his life ended, he died of alcoholic poisoning. It’s a very painful, sad death for such an important role in the art of mystery. It is ironic that his death be as mysterious as his words.

Edgar Allan Poe had a fever when he set off. Leaving for Baltimore, he had plans to go to New York City, and he was sick when he did so. (Background Box, Poe’s Final Days) It was sadly a dream Poe never saw through; going there. No one knows what happened between the time he arrived to the point where he was found dying in the street in disheveled clothing and in a drunken state, but there are many assumptions as to what happened. He was sick when he left, and while drinking, he was exposed to the elements. …show more content…

His symptoms before death include the following based off of the word of Dr. John J. Moran: he was perspiring profusely, he trembled violently, and he hallucinated. The man was driven mad by his fever, which proved deadly. The people around him, “including the professionally trained Dr. Snodgrass, also attributed his death to a lethal amount of alcohol.” (Line 101-102, Poe’s Final Days) He drank himself silly, and “[he] may have become too drunk to care about protecting himself against the wind and rain.” (line 114-116, Poe’s Final

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