Oct

25

The Tell-Tale Brain.

Posted by Christopher Waldrop

October 25, 2007 |

“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?“–Edgar Allan Poe

Sometimes life imitates art. The writer Matthew Pearl wrote The Poe Shadow, about one person’s attempt to solve the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe’s death. Pearl himself isn’t exaggerating when he says, “Poe’s death is one of the biggest literary mysteries, period.” Everything from alcoholism to rabies has been suggested as a reason for the early death of Edgar Allen Poe. Born January 9th, 1809, Poe lived a tumultuous life, but is best remembered for his short stories, especially The Tell-Tale Heart, The Murders In The Rue Morgue, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of The House of Usher, The Pit And The Pendulum, and some of his better poems like Annabel Lee and, of course, The Raven. He died October 7th, 1849, in Baltimore, Maryland, after having disappeared for several days. The exact reason for his death is still unknown.

While promoting the book Pearl kept being asked the same question over and over again: what killed Edgar Allan Poe? After looking at the evidence, Matthew Pearl has reason to believe it might have been a brain tumor. Twenty-six years after Poe’s death his body was moved and, according to letters written by witnesses who saw his body during the move, his skull had decayed and his brain was visible. It’s the sort of detail that’s fitting for the author of The Black Cat, but it raises the obvious question: why wouldn’t the brain have decayed? After consulting a coroner and looking at photos, Pearl came to the conclusion that Poe may have had a brain tumor, which would calcify. It’s possible that witnesses weren’t seeing the brain that gave us The Premature Burial, but rather the tumor that destroyed it.

It’s slim evidence, but that’s no reason to throw it out the window. The problem is that Poe’s body can’t be exhumed, and, even if it could, it’s been a hundred and fifty-eight years. There may be very little evidence of anything left, which leaves a lot of room for speculation. People will probably continue coming up with new theories for the death of Poe. It’s a fitting way to remember a man who once said, “I have great faith in fools; self-confidence my friends call it.“


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  1. Once Upon A Midnight Dreary… :: Just Write on January 18, 2008 12:01 am

    [...] 1849. The exact cause of his death remains a mystery, and everything from alcoholism to rabies to a brain tumor has been [...]

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