Visit Knowing Poe: Itll Be the Death of Me to complete the following

worksheet.

In the basement of the library, you will find a filing cabinet. The tabs are
labeled as follows:

Poisoning

Consumption

In His Brain

Heart of Poe

Gas Lighting

New Theory Cats

Crooked Elections

Alcoholism?

Read each file thoroughly, and record the evidence for and against each
theory of what caused Poes death. The first example is done for you.

In His Brain: Poes doctor said he had brain fever, and modern doctors
say a twisted looking face is evidence of brain lesions, but there was never an
autopsy to prove it.

Poisoning: Before his death, Poe reported in his letters that he had
Cholera, which was treated with mercury chloride, known as Calomel. It was
extremely poisonous. His symptoms were similar to mercury poisoning. Back
then, doses weren't as precise as they are now and he could've easily been
given more than needed. Poe's body was never given an autopsy so it's
impossible to know.

Consumption: A possible theory is tuberculosis. It was a deadly disease

back in Poe's time with no cure or treatments. Poe's wife Virginia, his brother
and his mother all died from Tuberculosis.

Heart of Poe: A year before his death, a doctor diagnosed Poe with
heart problems. However, Poe denied these claims. Since there was never an
autopsy, it's impossible to know.


Gas Lighting: Baltimore was the first american city to install gas
lighting. These gas lamps produced carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas. The
symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are similar to Poe's own symptoms,
and they often got even worse in urban areas.

New Theory Cats: Another theory is that Poe contracted rabies from
his cats. Poe's family had cats and cats weren't vaccinated against rabies
back then. In Poe's final days, he was reported as being delirious, going into
comas and then suddenly waking up calm, which is a symptom of rabies.
Some reports also say that Poe didn't want to drink water during his stay at
the hospital, which is another symptom, but this is contradicted by another
supposed report that Poe drank at least half a glass of water and some ice
chips.

Crooked Elections: The day of Poe's breakdown, there was an election.

Baltimore elections were known for corruption. An example of this corruption
was a "coop", where they would take people from the street, beat and give
them alcohol, and force them to vote for a candidate the captors want to win.
Since Poe was a known figure in Baltimore, he would've attracted attention
among the voters. When he was found in the streets, he had unusual
clothing, and some of them didn't fit well which could indicate that Poe was
taken into one of these coops and was his cause of death.

Alcoholism?: One of Poe's doctors, J.E. Snodgrass, said Poe's breath

reeked of alcohol. But Snodgrass was a member of a temperance society,
who believed people shouldn't drink so he might have been exaggerating to
prove a point. Poe's other doctor, J.J. Moran swears he didn't smell alcohol on
Poe's breath when he was admitted to the hospital. However, one of Poe's
relatives was surprised at Moran's statement, since he says it contradicts
what Moran told him personally. In a letter to his mother, Poe also said he
hadn't touched a drop of alcohol and was still having hallucinations.
What cause of death do you find the most convincing?
I find the poisoning theory the most convincing. Mercury was a very common
panacea back then due to its unique properties, and the symptoms of
mercury poisoning are similar to Poe's. The combination of heavy drinking
and mercury poisoning could've easily finished off the already weakened Poe.