Who Is Responsible For Edgar Allan Poe's Death

The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

The untimely demise of Edgar Allan Poe remains one of the largest mysteries of the modern era. Many theories have arisen since his death on October 7, 1849. However, many theories proposed over the years, dismiss large amounts of contradicting evidence. The most plausible explanation for his death would be a brain tumor, it would explain Poe's symptoms before his death, the mass found rolling in his skull, and the rapid deterioration of his health.

To begin, a mass was found rolling in Edgar Allan Poe's skull after his grave was dug up to be moved elsewhere. An analysis by a forensic scientist confirmed that it was not the brain, however, it could be a calcified brain tumor. As stated by the National

Some of the most popular theories are alcohol, beating, flu, cooping, rabies, and murder. Alcohol, at first glance, is a plausible theory regarding the death of Edgar Allan Poe. However, science has proved this theory incorrect as testing on Poe's hair revealed that his vow to sobriety had not been broken. Death from the injuries of beating also seems promising. However, it has its flaws. There were no visible marks on Poe's body that would suggest that he had been beaten, nor were there any other telltale signs of robbery or violence. The theory regarding death from the flu has little concrete evidence to back it up. It is believed that a combination of the flu and pneumonia had killed Poe, however, the symptoms do not correlate to a usual flu infection. He was said to have a weak pulse, which is not a symptom of the flu and he would not have "caught" pneumonia from the weather as the theory concludes. Cooping would explain some of the circumstances surrounding Poe's death, yet I believe that while it is plausible, it is not the best theory. People participating in cooping would force a victim to drink alcohol and make them vote multiple times under different identities. As mentioned previously, science has proved that Poe had remained sober, disproving this theory. The theory involving rabies, just like the alcohol theory, can be easily disproven as Poe had drunk water when he visited his doctor; there were no animal bites on his body. Those infected with rabies develop a fear of water, so Poe would not have drunk water if he had been infected. The murder theory states that the brothers of his fiancée had threatened him, caught him in Baltimore, Maryland, forced him to drink, and killed him. To reiterate, Poe had remained sober and it is not plausible that the brothers would have known where Poe had gone if he had put in an effort to conceal his