E.A. Poe Suffered MCS from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

what: presentation on the final day of the International Edgar Allan Poe Conference
where: Jefferson Hotel, Coolidge Room, Franklin & Adams Streets, Richmond VA
when: October 9, 1999, 1:30pm-2:50pm, Session 7D (Donnay to speak at about 2:15pm)

Albert Donnay, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD, will present evidence that Edgar Allan Poe suffered from and described dozens of symptoms of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, both in his letters and at least 14 of his tales, including The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart. Donnay also will identify several places that Poe lived or worked where he most likely was exposed to high levels of CO from illuminating gas, a toxic gas made from coal. Chronic CO poisoning would explain Poe's low tolerance for alcohol, recurring chronic fatigue, blackouts, alleged impotence, and hypersensitivity to sensory stimulation of all kinds: sounds, lights, odors, tastes and touch. CO poisoning also may explain the same multi-sensory sensitivity seen today in some cases of autism, multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) and chronic fatigue syndrome.

CO Referral & Resources, a non-profit organization based in Baltimore, will unveil its new poster of Edgar Allan Poe entitled "The Tell-Tale Face of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning" at the opening of the International Poe Conference in Richmond. The poster, on display at the Poe Museum, clearly shows Poe's drooping eye and mouth, signs of neurological injury that are also seen today in some cases of CO poisoning, autism and MCS.

The accompanying text gives information on the symptoms, sources, effects and treatment of CO poisoning, which kills and injures more people every year in America than all other toxic gases combined. The symptoms associated with chronic low-level exposure, however, are often misdiagnosed as the flu or chronic fatigue syndrome. To increase awareness of CO poisoning among both physicians and the public, CO Referral & Resources plans to send free copies of its Poe poster to emergency rooms around the country. The effort is sponsored by a grant from AIM Safe-Air Products, an Austin TX-based manufacturer of CO alarms (1-800-ASK-4-AIM) that annually donates 1% of its gross sales to non-profit organizations engaged in CO education and CO research.

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