By: Laurette

Laurette — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 18:45:37 +0000

In studying the letters of Poe’s colleagues and doctors, I believe that Poe, in fact, had very little tolerance for alcohol. He would abstain from imbibing for long periods of time. When he did drink, he could not tolerate more than one or two alcoholic beverages before becoming quite ill. The author himself, in a letter, states that after a bout of drinking and subsequent illness, he’d be confined to bed for several days. Since alcohol is high in sugar, could it be that his body could not efficiently break it down? When Poe left for Baltimore from Richmond, his physician was quite concerned about the author’s physical health, reporting an irregular heartbeat and a high fever. Already ill, Poe, nevertheless, journeyed to Baltimore. He was last seen with several “mates” he’d acquired at his place of lodging. The next incident we’re aware of is that Poe , near a polling place, appeared to be in a state of extreme delirium which descended into coma. He was taken to Church Hospital, where, despite tender nursing, he wavered between periods of confusion and delirium before he died. If Poe was ill when he left Richmond, then his immunity was low. If he then imbibed in one or two alcoholic beverages, his weakened body could not break down the sugar. In looking at Poe’s history of illness and self-enforced abstinence from drink, I believe he knew very well that alcohol made him quite ill; he, after all, states so in one of his letters. I believe E. A Poe suffered from non-diagnosed diabetes for most of his life. In Baltimore, his ill health put his body in a predisposed state of dysfunction. Poe then had several alcoholic beverages, which his body could not break down, fell into a diabetic coma, and, subsequently, died.

Comments on: Solve the Mystery of Poe’s Death

By: Laurette