How could alcohol withdrawal have contributed to Edgar Allan Poe’s death?

The theory that Edgar Allan Poe died from complications of alcohol withdrawal is one of the most prominent explanations for his mysterious death in 1849.1

Proponents of this theory, including J.E. Snodgrass—the doctor who examined Poe at a Baltimore tavern shortly before his death—suggested that Poe had been on a heavy drinking bender and subsequently succumbed to the tremors and delirium associated with withdrawal. In severe cases, alcohol withdrawal can lead to delirium tremens, a condition characterized by full-body tremors, disorientation, hallucinations, and fever, which carries a significant fatality rate if left untreated.123

However, this theory is contested. Other accounts suggest Poe had recently joined a temperance society, and his attending physician at the hospital, John Moran, maintained that Poe showed no signs of recent intoxication. Furthermore, the duration of his final illness and his fluctuating state of consciousness were viewed by some as inconsistent with the typical progression of alcohol withdrawal. Due to the fragmentary nature of the evidence, his exact cause of death remains a subject of historical debate.1