Danielo Perez’s Work and Interests

Board-certified forensic pathologist Danielo Perez was educated at Columbia University, the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and the State University of New York at Downstate College of Medicine. He spent time as an assistant medical examiner with the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office before going on to a career in forensic pathology, performing autopsies and working to determine the cause of a death. One of the most meaningful aspects of Danielo Perez’s work is consulting privately with families who are seeking closure for a loved one’s death.

During his residency at Stony Brook University Medical Center, Mr. Perez participated in interdepartmental conferences on pediatric, colorectal, and head and neck tumors. Over the course of his career he also has presented work on hydrogen sulfide suicides, drowning, alcoholism, and the death of literary figure Edgar Allan Poe. A paper he wrote on examining gunshot wounds was published in the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. He is a current member of the National Association of Medical Examiners, the American Academy of Forensic Scientists, and the American Society of Clinical Pathologists.

Mr. Perez has studied Eastern philosophy, meditation, and martial arts - including tai chi and bagua - for many years and taught classes in New York before relocating to Texas. He also enjoys calligraphy and writing, and considers Edgar Allan Poe an influence.

The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe

Danielo Perez, an Austin resident and a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, enjoys reading in his free time. At his home in Austin, Danielo Perez often reads the classic works of authors such as Edgar Allan Poe.

The circumstances of Edgar Allan Poe's demise remain shrouded in mystery nearly two hundred years after his death. He was found delirious in a gutter in October 1849, and he never recovered sufficient consciousness to explain how he ended up in soiled clothing on a Baltimore street.

Common theories include a beating, an illness, and a poisoning, though these have been discredited due to contrary evidence. While alcohol is often thought to have played a role, possibly as the result of a relapse into alcoholism, modern science has indicated that Poe remained sober in the years leading to his death. 

The attending physician recorded phrenitis (an inflammation of the brain) as the cause of Poe's death, which suggests that encephalitis or meningitis was involved. A more recent theory suggests, however, that Poe's death could have been the result of a brain tumor. 

When moving Poe’s decayed body three decades later, one worker reported a small mass inside Poe's skull that could have been a calcified tumor. With new theories emerging even as old ones are disproved by modern medicine, Poe's death is likely to remain one of literature's great mysteries.