What exactly was his illness?

-- Anonymous, January 23, 2002

Answers

what killed edger allen poe

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2002

Generally, a life of hardship, bouts with alcoholism. In particular it SEEMS the most credible explanation of his sudden demise was his being hijacked by a political press gang and overdosed on whiskey, this after an attempt to go completely sober and get on with his life. See the "cooping theory" of Poe's death at www.eapoe.org.

-- Anonymous, January 27, 2002

Edgar Allen Poe suffered from Bipolar, also calle Manic Depression which is characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania or euphoria. It has also been suggested that he had an alergy to alchahol. He claimed as was always backed up by family and friends that he rarely drank. However there are records of him drinking and acting like a drunkard. This fits with the allergy theory because those suffering from this condition have such a violent reaction to even one drink that they appear extremely drunk.

-- Anonymous, January 30, 2002

its also possible that he died of rabees.(i dont know how to spell it) there is evidance recorded that there were bite marks on his arms and neck.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2002

Nonsense. There is no record of there being bite marks on Poe when he was found in Baltimore in 1849. The idea of rabies is absurd and based on a grossly inaccurate reading of a dubious account of Poe's final days.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2002

A frequent question, indeed! But for what purpose? To try to deduce some biographical facts from his FICTIONAL (in prose or verse) writings? Or the converse? To help him? Too late, I fear. If we must speak of his illnes(ses), or his disease(s), we must firstly be sure that the nosology of Poe's days does coïncide with up-to-date medical informations, and then make clear distinction between physical and psychological disorders (if any), and , lastly, but of capital importance, get reliable descriptions of them (in his letters, for example -- though, even here, we may, evidently, be misled). A big job, for sure... I think we may dare to forget any a posteriori psychiatrical diagnosis, and to observe, to the contrary, how normal Poe stood amid all his various miseries, vexations, frustrations, humiliations, and misfortunes, all luxuriously documented. Physically, we may assume an abnormal intolerance to alcohol, increased, as for anybody, when starving, and growing older. In 1848, we may be sure, according to Mrs Shew's testimony, that his heart began to beat irregularily, (in plain modern cardiology, the well- known atrial fibrillation and its major risk, the cerebral emboly). If this is correctly guessed, we may accept Dr Moran's diagnosis at Poe's deathbed: "congestion of the brain"-- either with or without drunkness. Note that in one of his last letters, Poe alluded to calomel's use against some digestive disorder ("cholera"?). This treatment may have induced renal function's impairment, and thus offer another, equally plausible, explanation for dear Eddie's last days. All this not to be pedantical, but just to show how complexe will be any question about Poe's health. And, by the way, how do you do? Yours sincerely, Raven's Shade (Belgium).

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Yesterday, I was answering in a sympathetic but really noisy public cyber-café. Please, would you accept the following corrections and precisions: "In 1847", (instead of "1848"!); "embolism"; "drunkenness"; &c... Dr Moran's first and immediate diagnose was a comatous state resulting from ethylic intoxication. Later, he preferred to give -- perhaps thanks to actualized scientific knowledge, perhaps to vindicate Poe's memory -- the cerebral stroke version, as Dr Snodgrass had reported too. Note that these etiologies may perfectly co-exist, and even be still more credible, especially if added to the possible renal failure. Yours, Raven's Shade (Belgium).

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

American Authors 1600-1900 Copywrite 1938 H.W. Wilson Company

Look him up, the net is a crock. Pick up a book people. *laughs* Rabies...

-- Anonymous, June 01, 2002

he took a huge crap and died

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2002

I have done study very deep study and have figured out that he shoot him self with a gun he bought and he left behind a poem that says **** the world

-- Anonymous, December 11, 2002

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-- Anonymous, December 11, 2002

There was a bottle of jack daniel in his pocket when he died.

-- Anonymous, February 11, 2005