Did Poe's mother die of tuberculosis?
Poe's mother wasn't the only woman in his life to die of TB. Edgar Allan Poe's wife–Virginia Poe– died in 1847 of the disease. Both Eliza Poe and Virginia Poe died decades before Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, discovered the bacterium that causes TB, earning him a Nobel Prize in 1905.
What happened to Edgar Allan Poe's wife?
It was a very visible symptom of tuberculosis — the same incurable disease which had killed Edgar's mother. After five years of suffering, Virginia died, age 24. There's no question but that Edgar was devastated by the death of his wife. As the American Literary Blog points out, Virginia's death did not drive Edgar to drink.
What disease did Eliza Poe and Virginia Poe have?
Both Eliza Poe and Virginia Poe died decades before Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, discovered the bacterium that causes TB, earning him a Nobel Prize in 1905. Before that, it was considered an untreatable death sentence. Today, thanks to medical advances, TB is treatable.
How old was Virginia Poe when she died?
Virginia Clemm Poe was just 24 years old when she died in 1847. Edgar's mother also died of tuberculosis at age 24. Edgar followed Virginia in 1849 — to this day, his death is clouded in mystery.
How long did Virginia Poe live with tuberculosis?
But for most of Poe's adulthood, he struggled to financially support himself and his family. Unfortunately, by this time, his wife Virginia began exhibiting symptoms of tuberculosis. She was sick for several years and died in 1847 while the couple lived in New York. Virginia was 24 years old when she died.
Who in Poe's life died of tuberculosis?
Throughout his life, Edgar Allan Poe lost the women he loved, including his mother, adoptive mother and wife, many to tuberculosis.
Did Edgar Allan Poe marry a 13 year old?
Her name was Virginia Clemm, and she was his cousin. When Poe, age 27, married her, she was just 13. One of the most scandalous details of the biography of Edgar Allan Poe, author of horror stories and dark gothic poetry, was his marriage.
What disease did Edgar Allan Poe have in 1849?
cholera epidemicPoe had passed through Philadelphia in early 1849 during a cholera epidemic. He got sick during his time in the city and wrote a letter to his aunt, Maria Clemm, saying that he may "have had the cholera, or spasms quite as bad".
What is the cause of tuberculosis?
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a type of bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It's spread when a person with active TB disease in their lungs coughs or sneezes and someone else inhales the expelled droplets, which contain TB bacteria.
Why was 1846 a tragic year for Poe?
When Broadway Journal went under in January 1846, Poe lost the most reliable venue for his attacks. And having alienated so many of his fellow writers and editors, he found it difficult to publish and, therefore, to make money.
Did Poe have rabies?
Physicians at the University of Maryland Medical Center believe that writer Edgar Allan Poe died of rabies, not complications of alcoholism or drug abuse as had previously been believed. Poe died at age 39 on Oct. 7, 1849.
What broke off Poe's engagement to Helen?
And for his part, Poe didn't like her friends, Margaret Fuller and some of the other transcendentalists. According to one story, she broke off the engagement when someone slipped her a note saying he broke his promise not to touch alcohol.
Was Edgar Allan Poe's marriage platonic?
Poe's Relationship with Nancy Richmond Although their relationship remained platonic, Richmond and Poe experienced a mutual attraction. Poe called Richmond by the name of “Annie” and wrote his “For Annie” poem for her.
Did Poe have syphilis?
But scholars later discovered that rumors of his drug and alcohol abuse were greatly exaggerated, especially by vindictive literary critics like Rufus Wilmot Griswold. The death certificate, if it ever existed, cannot be found. Some historians believe Poe may have suffered from rabies, cholera or syphilis.
Why did Edgar Allan Poe commit suicide?
He was male, often felt overwhelming hopelessness, had a history of alcohol and substance abuse, and repeatedly lost loved ones. Critically, Poe had made previous suicide attempts — having tried to overdose on laudanum a year before his death. All possible causes of Poe's death have, to date, been purely speculative.
How did Edgar Allan Poe rabies?
Poe almost surely did not die of alcohol poisoning or withdrawal. A drinker in his younger years, he became so sensitive to alcohol that a single glass of wine would make him violently ill for days. In his later years, he avoided alcohol almost completely.
What disease did Edgar Allan Poe's mother die from?
In January 1842, Virginia was singing and playing the piano when she began to cough up blood. It was a very visible symptom of tuberculosis — the same incurable disease which had killed Edgar's mother.
How old was Edgar Allan Poe when his mother died?
Poe had some miles on him at that point. He was 3 years old when his mother died of tuberculosis. His father, an actor, had already abandoned the family, and Poe went to live with the Allans, eventually taking their name as his middle name.
How old was Virginia Clemm Poe when she died?
Virginia Clemm Poe was just 24 years old when she died in 1847. Edgar's mother also died of tuberculosis at age 24. Edgar followed Virginia in 1849 — to this day, his death is clouded in mystery.
What did Virginia's cousins call her?
They seemed to have been genuinely devoted to one another — as Women in History relates, he called her "Sissy " and she called him "Eddy.".
Did Edgar Allan Poe drink?
There's no question but that Edgar was devastated by the death of his wife. As the American Literary Blog points out, Virginia's death did not drive Edgar to drink. On the contrary, he'd been drinking far too much earlier in their marriage.
What disease did Edgar Allan Poe's wife die from?
Loss made Poe who he is today. Poe's mother wasn't the only woman in his life to die of TB. Edgar Allan Poe's wife–Virginia Poe– died in 1847 of the disease. Both Eliza Poe and Virginia Poe died decades before Robert Koch, a German physician and scientist, discovered the bacterium that causes TB, earning him a Nobel Prize in 1905.
How did Edgar Allan Poe's mother die?
While mysteries still surround some aspects of Poe's life and death, some details are clear, such as how deeply Poe was impacted by his mother's early death from tuberculosis , also known as TB. Eliza Poe died of the disease when Edgar Allan Poe was just a toddler. Poe's writing has survived the test of time, but, unfortunately, so has TB.
What did Edgar Allan Poe write about his mother?
"I have many occasional dealings with Adversity—but the want of parental affection has been the heaviest of my trials," Poe wrote in a letter to Judge Nathaniel Beverly Tucker.
How is TB transmitted?
Pulmonary tuberculosis, which is often simply called tuberculosis, is transmitted when a person with TB coughs, speaks or sings, releasing a particular type of bacteria into the air, according to the CDC .
How many people died from TB in 2015?
Worldwide, 1.8 million people died from TB in 2015, according to a World Health Organization report. That year, TB was one of the top 10 causes of death. It killed more people than HIV/AIDS and malaria. And that year, there were 10.4 million new TB infections.
Did Desai have TB?
Desai himself tested positive for TB during a skin test. Thankfully he had a normal chest X-ray and no symptoms—it was determined that he has a latent TB infection. In India and other countries of the world, latent TB often goes unchecked, according to the experts.
Did Edgar Allan Poe have TB?
Poe's writing has survived the test of time, but , unfortunately, so has TB. In the U.S., it's easy to see the disease as nearly eradicated when that's far from true. TB continues to be a global problem. Edgar Allan Poe circa 1848, the year after his wife died of TB. Image courtesy of The Library of Congress.
Why was Edgar Allan Poe's house so tidy?
His room was meticulously tidy due to his personal affinity for neatness. In Poe’s time, the house stood on the corner, which allowed more light to enter the home through its many east-facing windows. The house was quite open while Poe lived there, though it was later boxed in by surrounding properties.
How many houses did Edgar Allan Poe live in?
During his six years in Philadelphia, Poe lived in five different houses. Only this house survives. Just before moving here, Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe’s young wife, was diagnosed with tuberculosis. The family moved into this bright, airy house to help heal Virginia’s lungs. In addition to Edgar and Virginia, the household also included Virginia’s ...
Why did Edgar Allan Poe sleep alone?
He kept irregular hours, writing whenever an idea inspired him. He may have slept alone in this room because Virginia was ill with tuberculosis, which is contagious.
What was Poe's mantle made of?
The mantle above the fireplace is made of marble, one of the most elegant aspects of the house.
What was Edgar Allan Poe's dream?
It was Poe’s greatest dream to own and operate a literary magazine.
Did Edgar Allan Poe have electricity?
Like most other middle-class households of Philadelphia in the 1840s, Poe’s house did not have electricity or running water.
Did Edgar Allan Poe manage a parlor?
He was frequently published in literary magazines, but was never able to successfully manage one. Despite Poe’s hopes of entertaining wealthy investors, guests would have found Poe’s parlor somewhat lacking in décor.
Overview
Virginia Eliza Clemm Poe (née Clemm; August 15, 1822 – January 30, 1847) was the wife of American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The couple were first cousins and publicly married when Virginia Clemm was 13 and Poe was 27. Biographers disagree as to the nature of the couple's relationship. Though their marriage was loving, some biographers suggest they viewed one another more like a br…
Biography
Virginia Eliza Clemm was born in 1822 and named after an older sister who had died at age two only ten days earlier. Her father William Clemm, Jr. was a hardware merchant in Baltimore. He had married Maria Poe, Virginia's mother, on July 12, 1817, after the death of his first wife, Maria's first cousin Harriet. Clemm had five children from his previous marriage and went on to have thre…
Effect and influence on Poe
Virginia's death had a significant effect on Poe. After her death, Poe was deeply saddened for several months. A friend said of him, "the loss of his wife was a sad blow to him. He did not seem to care, after she was gone, whether he lived an hour, a day, a week or a year; she was his all." A year after her death, he wrote to a friend that he had experienced the greatest evil a man can suffer when, he said, "a wife, whom I loved as no man ever loved before", had fallen ill. While Virg…
Notes
1. ^ Thomas, Dwight & David K. Jackson. The Poe Log: A Documentary Life of Edgar Allan Poe, 1809–1849. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1987: 52. ISBN 0-7838-1401-1
2. ^ Silverman, 82
3. ^ Quinn, 17
4. ^ Silverman 81
External links
• Poe Family Tree at the Edgar Allan Poe Society online
• Virginia Clemm Poe from the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site online, National Park Service