Jane Austen’s Death – Could it have been Arsenic Poisoning?
Jane Austen is famous for her works of romantic fiction like Emma as well as Pride and Prejudice. The beloved author was born on December 16, 1775 and died on July 18, 1817.
Over the years many people have wondered the cause of Jane Austen‘s death at the age of 41. Was it Addison’s disease? Maybe Hodgkin’s lymphoma? Now Lindsay Ashford, a British crime novelist and journalist, puts forth a new theory in her book The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen. Ashford speculates that Jane Austen died of arsenic poisoning. Evidently arsenic was a common ingredient in medicine during the time of Jane Austen. Talk about the cure being worse than the disease!
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that our dearest Jane died of arsenic poisoning, albeit an accidental death due to the ignorance of the properties of arsenic that existed at the time and the medications that contained the dreaded substance. Nothing that we surmise in the present day can change the way that she died. We must remember that medicine was somewhat primitive at that time compared to today. We will forever celebrate her life and dwell not at length about her death. Long live Jane in our hearts and minds.