Did Edgar Allan Poe have a brain lesion?

Answer 1

No one knows with any degree of certainty what Edgar Allan Poe died from. No autopsy was performed at the time and no death certificate with a cause of death was ever issued. A brief obituary stated that Poe had died of "congestion of the brain" but that was not a medical finding.

All of the various theories from alcohol poisoning to brain disorder to rabies to the "cooping" theory are all just that: theories. All of the theories of Poe's death have their promoters and their detractors and no one can say it was one cause or the other based on the evidence we have at hand today.

Answer 2

Probably not. There was an account of Poe's death in the Baltimore Clipper newspaper that mentioned "congestion of the brain" as the cause of death. There is no death certificate for Poe, since none were formally required at the time. Nor was there any evidence that Poe had any symptoms of a brain tumor. Several different theories about the cause of death have arisen, but none have been proved with any degree of accuracy to have been accepted by historians.

Answer 3

No one knows, since there are no records of his death remaining. Even his death certificate has been lost if one was ever even issued.

Several people surmised that Poe had a brain lesion. The nurse who cared for Virginia Clemm Poe before she died stated that she thought Poe had a brain lesion from the way he acted. A Dr. Valentine Mott agreed with her. A person named T. O. Mabbot stated that a friend of his was told by a Doctor Who saw a picture of Poe that the twist in Poe's face could be from a brain lesion of some sort.

These are all conjectures since no autopsy was ever done and Mabbot's statement would be called double hearsay in court.

Additional information: It is my current theory that Edgar Allan Poe died from complications of untreated syphilis, which he may have contracted even before he married Virginia Clemm. One of the many symptoms of untreated syphilis is a brain lesion or lesions, and the theory would explain several smaller mysteries related to Poe as well:

1. Why, as many biographers believe, Edgar and Virginia never consummated the marriage.

2. Why Poe had so many difficulties with other ladies after the engagement.

3. Poe's behavior (at least what we know of it) in his last nine days of life.

4. Why no one talked much about the cause of Poe's death. The mention of syphilis is still taboo even today.

5. The somewhat odd comment in a letter from Poe's last physician, Dr. John J. Moran, to Maria Clemm: "Presuming you are already aware of the malady of which Mr. Poe died . . ."

6. The only contemporary public reference to a specific cause of death was given in the 'Baltimore Clipper' as "congestion of the brain."

Also, Poe was found dressed in clothes that were not his four days before he died, perhaps the cooping theory does hold some water for Poe was likely wandering the streets in an incoherent manner that election day, so the political hacks of the day changed his clothes and tried to get him to vote a few times. It may have been that Poe was so out of sorts that he couldn't even vote, or another explanation I have heard is that Poe was so well recognized in Baltimore that someone finally let him go.

Answer 4

His death still remains unknown.

No, he definitely did not in the sense of committing suicide. He probably contributed to his death indirectly by consuming an excessive amount of alcohol during his lifetime. And if the theory that he died of excessive alcohol consumption is correct, then he definitely contributed to his own death. But he did not commit suicide.
No, he definitely did not in the sense of committing suicide. He probably contributed to his death indirectly by consuming an excessive amount of alcohol during his lifetime. And if the theory that he died of excessive alcohol consumption is correct, then he definitely contributed to his own death. But he did not commit suicide.

Answer 5

The only clue as to the "congestion of the brain" theory is the publication in the Baltimore Clipper newspaper of the fact of Poe's attributing it to "congestion of the brain." No one knows for certain because there is no official death certificate for Poe. In fact his death is as mysterious as his stories and poems were. There are several different theories of the cause of his death, none of them verified with any degree of certainty.

Answer 6

Yes, Edgar Allan Poe did have a brain lesion, likely caused by a brain tumor. This may have contributed to his erratic behavior and ultimately his death.