Culture

Mozart Killed By Superbug?

by candice.tsuei | August 17, 2009 at 03:09 pm

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was killed by complications of a strep infection that was widely spread by soldiers in Vienna at the time, according to a group of Dutch researchers.

There have been rumors about Mozart's death - some suggest that he was poisoned by his jealousy rival Antonio Salieri, while others say that the was suffering from scarlet fever, tuberculosis, or trichinosis from undercooked pork.

Mozart’s sister-in-law, the authors note, said that his body became so swollen during his fatal illness that he could not turn in bed. His cause of death in a Viennese death registry was “hitziges Frieselfieber,” or fever and rash.

In search of clues to the Austrian composer's mysterious death at age 35 on December 5, 1791, Dr. Richard H.C. Zegers and his colleagues at the University of Amsterdam analyzed data from Vienna's death registry which began in handwritten script in 1707 until 1920.

"By looking at the patterns of death during Mozart's time and combining them with the signs and symptoms of his final disease, we have not one but two pillars on which our theory is built," said Zegers. "Although we can't be 100 percent conclusive, I'm convinced that we have come very near the exact reason he died."

Symptoms of strep include throat pain, difficulty swallowing, fever, headache, and a rash. Before the appearance of antibiotics like penicillin, strep could be frequently fatal.