The New York Times from New York, New York • Page 18

THE. XEW YORK TIMES. SUNDAY. JANUARY 20. 1907.

11 am mm pois VMK DEATH WLA1 NED Modem Medical Science Explains Mvs-tery of the Poets Last Days Not Drink, but Chronic Disease All ALLAN! POE, the author of "The Haven," "The (Jold Hup," and The Murder of the Hue orijue toj name merely the 'inot popular of hig works the riter whose power startled Dickens and excited the admiration of Irving, Lowell, and Browning, and whom Tennyson called "the most original genius that America has produced," was found -in tha streets of Baltimore on Oct. 3, 1847, 'dazed, in rags, a physical and mental wreck. He lay for days unconscious or raving like a madman, then sank to II condition was ascribed to a debauch or drugs, or both; his pitiful end to mania-a-potu. I In his lifetime and since hi? death, Toe's personal habits and the circumstance of his end have, been the lopicg of 'endless discussion, in which vituperation bus been mingled with ve hement defense. He hasjbeen pictured as a 3 transcendent genius and a drunkard, a polished gentleman and a surly misanthrope.

Within the lat few weeki, the whole topic has been reopened by the Approaching dedication of a monument to Toe in l'ichmond, Va. To the existing mass of contradictory testimony and discussion has I wen added much new material on the subject. Sonic of this, including letters, accounts of personal experiences, and the first article dealing with l'oe's cane purely from the medical standpoint, has been published very-recently Taken as a hole, however, the evidence leaves the layman as much puzzled as ever regarding l'ue'a complex personality and the circumstances of his death, To arrive at the truth of the matter and to rlear Poe's name of an injustice, if such existed, YOKK T1MKS has gaUiered all the evidenct relating to the subject, particularly the letten jnd accounts recently printed, and sub- mitted hem to an alienist; who ranks high a9 autliority on such matters in this city, and a physician whose practice peculiarly fits him toxical with the subject. This specialist undertook to review all of this evidence and to draw therefrom his conclusions regarding Poe as man and his fatal ti ti The expert offered a surprising opinion. It contradicts the contention that Poe died of, mania-a-potu.

His death is traced to cerebral oedema, or "water on the brain or "wet brain," a disease unknown in the authors dav, but now well recognized with the advance of medical science. The mote recent theories thai JW.sufered from psychic epilepsy or paresis are discount ted. Moreover, the! physician's study of the casi bus resulted in the belief that the psychopathic phases of Poe's case were so unusual that. his mental responsibility is to bo seriously questioned. His opinion follows: In reviewing the case of a man of undoubted pcnius.jlike Kdgar Allan Poe, we must rememlwr that Nature, while devebtping certain brain toian unusual has neglected other attributes, so tliatj they are iar lielow 'Tiosc found in the average man.

Thus Poe's powers of imagination Were abnormal at the expense of his will jowerj his ability to temptation, and his recuperation in case of misfortune. Such facts do not apply to men of exceptional abilities like Washington abilities often confounded with genius but to men of very exceptional gifts in only one direction, liord Byron-furnished an example of this condition. It's presence marke4 Poe as a weak man. His inherited characteristic. were lmd.

His ner-yous system was constitutionally deranged; he was abnormal to a degree that leads one seriously to doubt his mental or tnoral responsibility, Add to these elements hi- reckless youth, the -ase with which he was surrounded early in his life, and the years of oWty and misfortune which. followed, and his tragic end is already foreshadowed. In his "Life and letters of Edgar Allan Poe," Prof. Harrison make this estimate of the author: There Is no doubt tht roe was addicted to drugs and stimulants at lnvgulaif Intervals and under i atronc temptations. That rtfl either a habitual drunkard or an plum-eater unanimous testimony of hts who really knw him and bjH written manuscript, manuscript written at all hours ct the day and night, under all circumstances of rood and bad health.

hurriedly or deliberately, tnai have remained behind to attest a physical condition absolutely the opposite of that of a victim of de- lirluru tremens. No opium so, no habitual victim of spirituous liquors could have written this firm, clear, i steady. delightfully legible, I feminine handwriting. His brain was always at fever-heat, a volcano raging rtth inward fires and full of the molten lava of nervous irritability! to. add a slngie drop of external stimulant to it was to cause, it to overflow and destroy or reva everything within reach.

There arc temperaments that come Into the world intoxicated, like the (V.d -in toxica ted Sptnox" brimming with spiritual fire that there Is no room for anything else. tSuch temperaments are perilously allied to hysteria and.tnadnosa. Writing to George iKveleth. na intimate friend, on Jan. IS, lSlsJ the year before hia death, Poe said: 1 Is contradicted by the Intimate friends those the piles of exquisitely Tou say: Can you hint to me what was the terrible evil which caused the Irregularities so profoundly lamented? Tea: I lean do more than bint.

This evil was the greatest that ran befall a man. tx years age a wife whom 1 loved hi no man ever loved before ruptured a blood vessel In singing. -Her Ufa was despaired of. 1 took leave of her forever and underwent all the agonies of her death. She recovered partially and I.

again hoped. At the end of a year the vessel broke again. I went through precisely the same seen; then again again and even once again, at varying Each time I felt all the agonies of her death and it each accession of the disorder I loved her more dearly and clung to her life with more desperate pertinacity. But I am constitutionally sensitive nervous in a very unusual degree. 1 became Insane, with long Intervals of hor-' rlble sanity.

During these fits iof absolute unconsciousness 1 drank God only flows how often or how much. As a matter of course, my enemies referred the Insanity to the drink, rather than the drink to the insanity. I had, indeed, nearly abandoned all hope of a permanent cure, when I found one In the death of my wife. This I can and do endure as becomes a man. It was the horrible, never-ending oscillation between hope and despnlr which I could not longer have endured, without total loss of reason.

The last passages quoted suggest that Too mfght have suffered from paresis. This theory is contradicted, however, by the fact that during the last months of his life there were no evidences of the eccentricities or mental derangement which would mark the subsequent stage of the disease. A man with a temperament like Toe's would resort to intoxicants or drugs-pthey usually do. As is not infrequently the case, he might have taken stimulants while writing or when overcome by the loss of his wife's or other misfortunes. Such a practice in a man with Poe's constitutional defects would end.jin the formation of the liquor habit.

A letter, recently published, confirms this theory. Dr. II. D'Pnger, who knew Poe in Baltimore, gave these details, few month ago, of his per- sonality to Chevalier E. II.

Reynolds of Washington, I). I In one way he Poe was a periodical drinker-thai Is, he had his spells yet 1 never saw him brulishly drunk, no matter how many glasses of the ardent he swallowed. The story that one glass of liquor would set him wild is moonshine. The trouble with him was that hef worken himself down and then became despondent. Drink vas induced by this despondency, anjj he kept up the "drunk" as Ion as he.

had money, without getting beastly drunk. He drank until hfs nerves were shattered; poured It down until he was actually sick. He ate very little while indulging. I suppose he told me, a hundred times that he was going; to quit the habit, and I am sure he wa sincere int his wish to do so. All his drunks were followed byja weakening diarrhea.

That was what carried hini off. Poe left IJichmond early in October, 1849, to visit Xew York. According to Dr. John F. Carter, one of his friends in theiVirginia city, he was quite sober and cheerful when heembarked, and remarked that he would soon return.

Life seemed to be brighter for hinTthan it had been for months. He was 39 years old, ha'd $1,500 in his pocket, and. was to return to fill the position of litcTary critic of The Richmond Examiner. His journey to Baltimoreponsumed at least twenty-four hours. What happened to Poe during the trip or between the time he arrived in Baltimore and the hour he was found, helpless, in the streets of that city, isa matter of supposition.

One story, and that usually given credence, is that, after reaching Baltimore, the poet fell into the hands of political toughs at the Fourth Ward polls, was drugged, and carried around from poll to poll in the interest of the Whig Party. Dr. ITUnger, the acquaintance of Poe's in Baltimore and a man who knew the city well, denied this story. One of the most recent summaries of Poe's last days in Baltimore was prepared hv Apple-ton Morgan, lie said that the records of Poe's case on the books of the hospital where he died read: "Cause of death exhaustion caused by exposure," and that-the callers on Poe declared that the author was not suffering from delirium tremens, but was. rational and aware of his approaching end.

One of the men who found Poe in the streets of Baltimore gives this account of the author's appearance: Ills face was haggard, not to say bloated and unwashed, his hair unkempt, and his whole physique repulsive; that fun-orbed and mellow yet soulful eye now lustreless and vacant. The carriage having arrived, we tried to get the object of our care upon his feet, so that he might the more easily be taken to it. But he was past locomotion. We therefore carried him to the coach as if he were a corpse. While we were doing this he was so utterly voiceless as to be capable of only muttering some scarcely intelligible oaths and other forms of imprecation upon those who were trying to rescue him from destitution and disgrace.

Describing Poe'3 last illness, Dr. J. J. Moran, w. ho attended the author in the Baltimore City and Marine Hospital, wrote aw follows to Toe's mother-in-law, Mrs.

Clemm When brought to the hospital he was unconscious of hks condition who brought him or with whom he had 'been associating. He remained in this condition from 5 o'clock In the afternoon the hour of hi admission until 3 next "snorning. To this state succeeded tremor of the limbs, and at first a busy, but not violent er active, detlrium constant talking and vacant converse with spectral and Imaginary objects on the walls. Ills face was pale and his person drenched with perspiration. We were unable to induce tranquillity before the second day after his admission.

Having left orders with the mirses to that effect. I was summoned to his bedside as soon as consciousness supervened, and questioned him in reference to his family, place of residence, relative. Ac. but hia answers were Incoherent and unsatlsfactorv. He told me, however, he had a wife tn IUchmond( which I have since learned was not the fact.

that he did not know when he left that citly, or what had bc-come of his trunk of clothing. Wishing to rally and sustain hts now fast-sinking hopes. I told him I hope. that- in a few days he would be able to enjoy the society of his friends" here, and I would be most happy to contribute in very possible way to his nd" com or -At this he broke out with much ehergy- and said the best thins hia beat frlaad could do would be to blow out his brains with a pistol that when he beheld his degradation he was ready to sink tn the earth. Ac Shortly after giving expression to these words Mr.

Poe seemed to dose, and I left him for a short time. When I returned I found him in a violent deUrium, resisting the efforts of two nUrses to keep him in bed. This state continued until Saturday evening, (he was admitted on Wednej-day.) when he commenced calling for one Reynolds." which he did through the night up to 3 on Sunday morning. At this time a very decided change began to affect him. Having become enfeebled from exertion he became quiet and seemed to rest Xor a short time, then gently moving hts head he said: Lord help my poor souL" and expired.

These accounts flatly contradict the theory-that Poe died of mania-a-potu, or delirium tremens. When men suffer from this disease there is a violent, not a quiet delirium such as that described by Dr. Moran. The eyes are wide open and distended, not lustreless and Tacant." Indeed, the accounts I have just quoted give a perfect pathological history of a man suffering from cerebral oedema wet brain') a disease unknown in Poe's day, but now frequently identified. Let me describe cerebral oedema, or "wet brain," in the simplest terms: The pressure on the heart caused by alcoholic liquor or drugs, leads to a gradual deterioration of that organ.

As its functions become weaker and weaker, the blood discharges the water that is in it and the fluid accumulates in the brain. Ultimately the pressure leads to' death. The slow muttering delirium descriU'd in Poe's case was caused by chronic intoxication of a poison such as alcohol, morphine, or chloral. Many such cases have come under my observation. Ixt not the technical meaning of this term "chronic intoxication" be misunderstood, how-ever.

It does no mean that 'Poe's last illness was necessarily preceded by a debauch. The conditions 1 have described, which result in cere bral oedema, may extend over a long period of time. For example, 1 know of cases of "wet brain" in which the patients have been so-ealle4 "moderate drinkers" for years, or, like sober a large part of the time and addicted to occasional of intoxication. When the body. is in a condition favorable to the development of cerebral oedema -a single false step will cause i.fee development of the disease.

Dr. Moran asserted that there" was no smell of liquor on Poe's breath when he was brought to the hospital, and that he recoiled with horror from thq offer to take what the physician thought was a necessary stimulant. W. J. Glenn of Richmond, writing to Prof.

Ilarrison'in 1900, said a man named Benson went to Baltimore, from Richmond, visited the hospital in which Poe died, and had a talk with the doctor, an acquaintance, who also told him that Poe had not becji drinking when brought to the hospital, but had been drugged. This evidence does not alter the case. Even a man suffering from mania-a-potu does not necessarily have the smell of liquor on his breath. Poe's condition and malady might well have been caused by opium or chloral. There remains tho.

diagnosis of Poe's case the first of its kind, I belief by Dr. William Lee Howard ofJWtimorc, published in The Arena in January, 1901. Dr. Howard contends that Poe suffered from dipsomania, or- psychic epilepsy, which was no more under control than the familiar epileptic attack. Says Dr.

Howard: There are individuals born of unstable nervous organization, unfortunate persons who struggle throughout their lives with all the outward appearance of a well-adjusted physiologic machine, yet who are Intense sufferers of intense psychic disturbances. These symptoms of an unbalanced, unequal organization take various objective forms. Such are seen in the man so poisoned by products of his own body that the higher brain centres are sub merged and the nerve eils cry. sbr.k i- i-though the fiend of ancentral Impulse fcrw-w wiil was temporarily destroyed and he ehtirvd wallow In Ita riotous ft It was to this tatter class of unfortuh5i tvU belonged, and In his words, p.tlc'pray4H. auk tasies the neurologist can see the suffering and reco- nit the-feeling, of hopelessness ever nrent unjustly accused.

These- dipsomanlcal Attacks symptoms of disorganlicd brain cells; The; become poisoned at irregular Interval 4ly hv ijLirn-u in me ihhjv tnrougn a lack or ryTfeci; tv. From my review of the evidence i jshou Saj y. that the weight of the testimony rather than strengthened this Dr. Howard has overstateft the cattin ti ah. f' sence of conclusive facts.

It is nownderood, of course, that epileptic conditions csast thout 1A milnifiictalinn if i Vw. t. 1 Mohammed was undoubtedly, an epileptic. poleon was also, and his stupor afteil the attlij of Waterloo mav be traced to the du4n.e. Poo.

periods of depression and great excifc-tneqf anl- his occasional periods of idleness "nd sitjipor might suggest a condition of cpileply, but the 11 evidence is not sufficient.1 A man suffering from psychic epilepsy will stop suddenly i convrrsa. tion, destroy the nearest thing to. hii, coaimit sy some overt act, even to unprovoked or f- if he suffers front dipsomania. wiUttake lap a bottle of liquor and driuk all he carilef itiiith out thought of the consequences. Vffi'n t)jp at tack is over the.

sufferer will bso--p lutely nothing of what has happened! In all the letters and articles referring tjd Po mere js noininjr to snow niat mis tmjiaiti.) existed in his case. If he had suf'red from psychic epilepsy or dipsomania. his friends would have mentioned suehustinttiv.s svmntoms. As thev do not do so. -Ibis tibVorv may well be dismissed.

hi 4- 5-, A Romance of the Deep -I 4, Said a merman to a mermaid: "Tou are very, very sweet. And It really doesn't that you haven't any feet. For your flippant footless motion as you glide along the deep Hot interests me hugely and amuses me a heap; Then the wild, artistic tresses of your lovely sea-green hair. Together ith your eyes, my dear, provoke me to despair. So iet us to a Justice of the Seas directly go And there be wed." Dear merman," said That pretty mermaid, No! Said the merman to the mermaid: "If convenient, won't you deign That hateful monosyllable with clearness to explain? I cannot understand it every other mermaid smiles When I wiggle In the sunlight off the gleaming coral isles; When I swim fantastically, with my slithery sidewise poise And glisten in the moonlight, why, I'm bothered by the noise Of ceaseless female compliments! I'm called the 4 Wholesale Beau! Ah! let us wed!" I told you," said That pretty mermaid, No! She spoke with winsome firmness, with a sweet, decisive touch.

Which made him see 'twas hopeless, and the fellow said as much! And Just as he was leaving for a lone, heartbroken swim Another merman paddled up oh, how ehe looked at him! His hair was raven of a lustrous beauty rare, And parted in the middle with the greatest savoir-faire, -And soon that Jilted merman beard this ocean dude confess His ish to wed. Dear merman," said That pretty mermaid. Yes! In Boston A Boston girl Is visiting her married brother In New York, and his children are continually astonished at the difference between her pronunciation and theirs. How do you pronounce d-o-u-g-h in Boston. Aunt Nellie? askei Uttle Tom.

Aunt Nellie's eyes twlnkleL In Boston we pronounce it filthy lucrej she saidl Disingenuous The butcher was busily attending to his customers when a "nice little boy approached the counter and. with Innocent manner, asked: "Have you any dry herring. Sir?" "Yea. my son," answered the butcher, looking benevolently down at the nice little boy. Nice Little Boy AwJ why don't you give 'cm a drink? HI Congressional Speeches Over the Telepljbnfi ASHINGTON.

Jan. IS. Th little) ineiai uihk sianunij; uprigra on ppcaK erCannon's'desk in the Hjjuse (if-Itcp. CjJ resentatives Is not. as a Manor uioukiu, a target at jwnica v-Western and Southern menwr niivVt i practice gunplay, but an acoustlcon, a trtily reifiark- able device which the Superintendent ofjthe "iipltol f- has been giving a thorough trial.

fjf i I The acoustlcon Is a sound tf It attached a copper cable. Connecting wJKh thlf Jcable are ordinary telephone wires, the number of which 0 may be practically unlimited, which connect in turn with ordinary' telephone receivers. Ittt the lilen- tion of the Capitol authorities to place line ofhea receivers In every committee room andfneejin tho building, and In every' office of the new Ctmgretsional Office building, when that is completedJ Wh44 this P' system Is in working order, if a memjRr dfiei not t- wish to get In before the Chaplain's, pjjayer or the reading of the Journal, he may enjoy aligarfn his office until he hears through the receive! the er's voice proclaim that "the frontt'New! York is recognized for five minutes." whjn, if jh desires, he can proceed to the floor, or. If tljje particular bill under discussion Is of no Interest to jiim, femaln jr? where he Is until something else comes U. Nu'niat- in what part of the chamber a speaJper is isinntl- Ing, the acoustlcon transmits his word? faltMuliy, and the man at the receiver can hear wth jnuh distinctness aa though he stood at the Speaker's denk.

-Jv Whether the speaker's voice is raised fS a shout oc lowered to a whisper does not Interfere wi.h the clearness of the transmission. -g It is even thought, though the trlalso far-have not actually been carried to that length, tiip the acoustlcon wire might be connected wlthin orHJnary long-distance telephone, so that a mem-ber iiiChi- cago or New York could sit In his library; and! gluten to the remarks of his colleagues upon he fobr of the House In Washington. li The value and convenience of the device in un- -doubtable, and would greatly facilitate: the coiduct of business. Shcwtld no quorum be present ihe $jeak- t5 er need merely remark, All gentleme it receivers h-will please come upon the floor," and, aijf by magic, j-the wheels of legislation can In a few moflients tv set tv going. In fact, one enthusiastic member sees no reason why two of the Instruments mght hot be placed In operation, one working each Jn the House chamber would be placed a reaver jj the -form of a large megaphone, from issue the tuneful quotations of Champ Clark rjr therrver- ti brating tones of Sereno Payne's deen'- oice, caught up by the acoustlcon upon tig- Sp4tkcr's'' cesk and distributed impartially among member listening at their receivers In Buffalo.arsoijicity, -Canton.

or Mobile. Thus would be ths necessity of coming to the Capital all. 1 i( Timid Senators are also becoming lntsested'th the pavls they By MINNA IRVING. He framed bis sweet and tender thought In mellifluous verse; The editors declined them all With printed missives terse. His coat grew shiny at the oains.r His toes were on the street.

And it was many a moon, alas! I-S Since he had tasted meat. 4 At last, from his musej He stripped the sober cloak. And dressed her in the caps and be.Es Befitting those who joke. He ended each rejected poem With quip or Jest fr pun. And sent them out, and got.

beholdj A check for every one, I No more he fears the postman' rinf His troubles are all over; -He Is a famous Jokeamlth now, lives tn cream and clover. acoustlcon. With Tillman there, and1 Jeff i coming, and John Temple Graves wanijng t'i cannot but reflect upon how much moref bellgljtful it would ne to sit In a secure commit toeroony; wit the door safely bolted, and listen to tho joundiof the shoutings of the captains, than to be aStwahi Sup the field perhaps trampled beneath hiifs of their charters. Another device of a somewhat slmltr nature 1 planned members' individual officeS.J By of the dictograph, as it Is called, a memjter may sit yf' at his desk In one room, or walk up aiyl down the floor, and dictate letters or speeches a sljnofi- j. rapher several rooms removed.

Whenpie hi fin- ished his dictation he can ring a bell, aiyj ttie iienng- rapher reads back his notes, the sound itelhgjjrnag- nlfled. so that the member may get an 3dea 4l how the speech will sound when delivered upn thp.floor of the House. Should a member wishjlja oorjversa- tion to be recorded, without the knowfadge jof the i other party thereto. It Is easily accompjishedor if he wishes another member, not privileged to he bodily present at a conference, to hear wjhat Is fixing i said, wires connecting at a central switchboard are coupled up. and the thing Is accomplished- But suppose that sometimes som6 thfrj peo- r.

pie representatives should rorget to (tng dt, sections! 1 i The Poet ft I r. I) It.