Edgar Allan Poe

The Mystery and Theories of Edgar Allan Poe’s death

How did Edgar Allan Poe die?

No aspect of Poe’s life has fascinated his fans and detractors as his death. Unfortunately, there is also no greater example of how badly Poe’s biography has been handled. Covered in opinion and disagreement, the important details of Poe’s final days leave people with more questions than answers. Poe’s death will probably always remain a mystery. The puzzle still teases and tempts researchers today. They review the stories over and over again in hopes of finding something new, to settle the question once and for all (http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm). Poe was 40 years old when he died on October 7, 1849. He had traveled by train from Richmond, Virginia to Baltimore a few days earlier, on September 28. While in Richmond, he had proposed marriage to a woman who would have become his second wife. Poe intended to continue on to Philadelphia to finalize some business when he became ill. Poe was discovered lying unconscious on September 28 on a wooden plank outside Ryan's saloon on Lombard St. in Baltimore. He was taken to Washington College Hospital.

There are many theories of his death like: alcohol, rabies, and brain tumor.

The Alcohol Theory

This is the theory most people think of when they are asked about Poe’s death. That Poe engaged in bouts of drinking, particularly during Virginia’s long illness is well established, but how exactly he may have died of alcoholism has never really been explained. Clearly, Poe did not have an accident and his drinking seems to have been neither so constant nor so intense as to cause sclerosis of the liver. It has been suggested that poor nutrition and a weakened condition brought on by other illnesses could have allowed hallucination tremens to occur with fewer and less intense episodes of drinking than would normally be required, but none of these offerings completely explain his condition and the change of clothing (http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm) . Also there are accounts that say Poe stopped drinking six months prior to his death.

The Rabies Theory

I found an article about the rabies theory at (http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/news-releases-17.htm). The doctors at University of Maryland Medical Center believe that rabies was the cause of Poe’s death and have many reasons why. They released an article about it in September of 1996. This article is really great and everyone should definitely read it.

The Brain Tumor Theory

The theory is what interested me most. Mr. Pearl, a writer, wanted to write a non fiction novel about Poe’s death in 2007. He wanted some actual evidence to go by and discovered something really amazing. He looked through a bunch of articles and discovered that Poe’s body had been exhumed, 26 years after his death, so that his coffin could be moved to a more prominent place at the front of the cemetery. Also a few of the articles suggested that the great man’s brain had been visible to onlookers during the procedure. Mr. Pearl realized there was no way that Poe’s brain was still there after 25 years. He researched and found out that a tumor that was in his brain could have still been there and looked like a shrunken brain. This is just a summary of the article about Mr. Pearl’s discovery. The article is at http://www.observer.com/2007/10/poes-mysterious-death-the-plot-thickens/. This was my favorite theory overall.

There are many theories about Poe’s death, but it is still a mystery. Poe wrote of darkness and mysterious. I believe he would like for his death to always remain a mystery.