Mozart died of . . . strep??
| August 17, 2009 | 5:08 PM
More journal entries from Cindy House »
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s death in December 1791 at age 35 has long been a mystery. Was the genius composer poisoned by a jealous rival? Was it the “fever” listed on his death certificate? Did scandalous behavior perhaps lead to syphilis?
Researchers think they may have the answer, or at least an educated guess, to this 300-year-old mystery: a body-wide strep infection. Here’s what they’ve based their diagnosis on:
- Mozart’s sister noted that his body was so swollen that he couldn’t turn over in bed. This is consistent with possible swelling from an acute kidney disease that sometimes follows strep infection.
- The composer’s other symptoms included fever, malaise, back pain and rash — also symptoms of strep infection.
- Death records for Vienna, Austria, during the winter of 1791-92 show an uptick in the number of younger men who died from edema, suggesting an outbreak of some sort of infection.
The last criterion is the key to the researchers’ conclusion. Without it, the list of Mozart’s symptoms could be — and have been — applied to any number of ailments.
A strep epidemic is not as sexy as murder-by-rival, but, unfortunately, it seems to have done the job just as effectively.
classical music, mozart, strep
