How did Chris McCandless get poisoned?
Considering that potentially crippling levels of ODAP are found in wild-potato seeds, and given the symptoms McCandless described and attributed to the wild-potato seeds he ate, there is ample reason to believe that McCandless contracted lathyrism from eating those seeds.
What was Chris McCandless's most probable cause of death?
His body, which weighed only 67 pounds (30.4 kg), was discovered by hunters on September 6. The cause of death was officially reported as starvation. However, in his final days McCandless recorded his own conviction that the seeds of the wild potato, or Eskimo potato (Hedysarum alpinum), had disabled him.
What were Chris McCandless last words?
Five months later, his body was found on an abandoned bus. It was discovered that he died of starvation due to his inability to cross back over an overflowing river. His last known words were written on the back of a page from a book: “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!”
What was ironic about Chris McCandless death?
The fact that someone as articulate and effective at communicating as McCandless died alone, having written a kind of letter (the S.O.S. note) that went unread until it was too late, is an example of irony.
What does Krakauer determine caused McCandless's death?
In the book Into The Wild, Krakauer suggested that McCandless passed away due to toxic alkaloids in wild potato seeds (a conclusion reached, in part, thanks to an extract from his journal: “EXTREMELY WEAK. FAULT OF POT[ATO] SEED.
What did Chris McCandless suffer from?
He put forward the proposal that McCandless starved to death because he was suffering from paralysis in his legs induced by lathyrism, which prevented him from gathering food or hiking. Lathyrism may be caused by oxalyldiaminopropionic acid (ODAP) poisoning from seeds of Hedysarum alpinum (commonly called wild potato).
When people read about Chris McCandless's death What was their reaction?
Krakauer notes the lack of sympathy Alaskans felt for McCandless when they read the article Krakauer wrote about his death. Many felt that he was a foolish child, who arrogantly attempted to brave the Alaskan wilderness.