The Cause Of Edgar Allan Poe's Death

It is evident that Poe had a problem with alcohol. Poe’s closest friends and local newspapers attributed his death to alcohol poisoning.

Edgar Allan Poe’s death was caused by the infamous act of cooping. He was found outside of a bar during voting time; delirious and dressed in second hand-clothes, he was later sent to Washington College Hospital to be taken care of. This theory is the most plausible because it explains why he was drugged, how they found him in other people’s clothes, and the reason why he was a victim of cooping.

One reason that suggest that Poe died of alcoholism is that he was well known to have a history of drinking. First when Edgar was in the hospital and his uncle, Henry Herring, came in after he found out about his condition he refused to care for Poe. As Kenneth Silverman writes, “But he refused now to take over his car, saying that on former occasions, when drunk, Poe had been abusive and ungrateful.”(185). Henry Herring described Poe as abusive and ungrateful when drunk indicating that Poe had been drinking on previous occasions for him to know this. An additional person who was a close friend to Poe was the medical professional, Dr. Snodgrass believed that Poe died from an overdose of alcohol. Another thing that supports that Edgar Allan Poe had a history with drinking is the fact that when he would write letters to his wife and mother-in-law he would say things that he was recovering and promised to reform. As Pollin and Benedetto writes, “Evidence of Poe’s chronic binges is strewn through his letters, in periodic admissions

Many people believe Poe died of rabbies however, there is more then enough evidence that supports he died of alcohol. In "Poe's Final Days"the author says '' Many others who had known Poe, includuing the professsionally trained Dr. Snodgrass, also attributed his death to lethal amounts of alcohol." (Silverman 186). I believe this quote means that even his family knows he had gained his drinking problem back. If he did possibly get his drinking problem back then possibly he could not stop himself from drinking a lot at once. "Poe was found outside a Baltimore saloon in an alcohlic stupor on October 3, 1849, and died four days

1). Poe went so far that he got into a point that he drank absinthe and brandy which is a really dangerous mixture (Poe, Drugs and Alcohol 27). Between the many possible causes of Edgar Allan Poe’s death, his problem with alcohol is really considerable as one important reason of his early death (Scharf, Douglas 1).

To begin, many people believe Poe died of alcoholism, however he did not and there is no actual evidence of this. According to Jeff Jerome, by the time Poe was forty he almost always avoided alcohol (188). If Poe had stopped drinking as he aged, it is extremely unlikely that he would have returned to it and drank enough to kill him. The text states, "(Jeff Jerome) said that he had heard dozens of tales (of Poe dying a victim to his alcoholism) but that almost everyone that has come forth with a theory has offered no proof" (NY Times 188). Many people who attributed Poe's death to alcohol only

There are many theories of how Edgar Allan Poe died. One of the theories is alcohol. Poe was a heavy drinker as a young man so it is possible. Another theory is rabies. This is also a possible theory because of the symptoms he had in the hospital.

This is why it cannot be alcoholism. “The writer is so sensitive to alcohol that a glass of wine would make him violently ill for days.” (New York Times pg.188). Therefore, he could not have died of alcoholism if drinking alcohol makes him that sick. Mr. Jerome, curator of the Edger Allen Poe House and Museum in Baltimore, said Poe may have had problems with alcohol when he was younger but by the time he died at forty he almost always avoided

The death of Edgar Allen Poe is quite the mystery. No one knows what really happened to the failed poet that cold night, while he lay on the street. Many theories suggest that Poe was murdered by one of his many enemies or that he has brain cancer and died on the street. One theory I support is that Poe died from alcohol poisoning, there is quite a bit of evidence that supports Edgar Allen Poe passed from alcohol poisoning such as he became addicted to alcohol after his wife passed, he was found near a pub, and he had brain symptoms that pointed to alcoholism.

To begin with, as Poe’s death is mainly argued to be rabies or alcohol intoxication, he could not have died of alcohol because of the symptoms presented. Symptoms of intoxication include drowsiness, vomiting, breathing difficulties and even unconsciousness, but not hallucinating and seeing

The alcoholism theory cannot be true because the curator at the Poe museum said that Poe couldn’t touch alcoholism at his older age or he would get very sick. In all, I believe that Poe’s death was caused by rabies because Poe’s symptoms were of rabies when he died, two doctors, Dr. Pollin and Dr. Benedetto, tried disproving his theory but could only do it with false information, and another well known doctor, Dr. Benitez backs up his theory that Poe died of rabies with scientific support that can’t be refuted. At the end of the day though, none of us really know how Poe

According to another New York Times article written by Burton R. Pollin and Robert E. Benedetto,”If Only Poe Had Succeeded when He Said Nevermore To Drink”, Dr. Benitez was wrong to assign Poe’s death to a case of rabies. They claim that Edgar Allan Poe died from too much alcohol in his system, not from an animal attack. Dr. Benitez never stated that Poe was not drunk, yet it is true that Poe has a history of extreme alcoholism. This is evident not only in his works, but strewn throughout his relationships with false admissions of recovering. Another key evidence is the lack of a bite or scratch. Even if Poe could not recall the attack, another symptom of rabies is itching or a rash being evident on an entire limb. I find it surprising that no doctor would notice that. Whitewashing his death doesn't make the reality any different, he was

The Alcohol Theory is based on the unhealthy and frequent consume of liquor of Poe during his life that caused him serious health problems that brought him more than once on the margin of a physical collapse.

This essay is about Edgar Allan Poe and how is often disturbing stories and poems were a direct reflection of the chaotic and sad filled life. Poe had many people in his life die around him and this was the reason for his fascination and some say obsession with “death.” Of course, Poe is most famous for writing many stories and mysteries that centered on murder, suicide, and overall macabre themes. Many people throughout time have been astonished by his many writings calling them “stories written by a genuine mad man.” When you do an Internet search of his name you often find the word lunatic attached to his name. However, this disturbing stories and death-obsessed poems are nothing when compared to his actual life, and the various experiences throughout it. Poe has ten people in his life that were close to him, very important figures that either died or exited his life without an explanation. These “losses” left Poe unable to manage his emotions, ultimately destroying them altogether, which resulted in him writing so many mysteries.

On September 28, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe arrived in Baltimore, Maryland to take a train to Philadelphia. What was supposed to be a brief stop over turned into an eternity. What caused the death of "the father of the detective story"? The possible scenarios surrounding the events that lead up to his death are the cause of many magazine articles, books, and even recent medical studies. Although no one really knows what happened to Edgar Alan Poe, there are over twenty different theories about what might have happened to him. I will discuss the four major theories of what Edgar Allan Poe's cause of death was.