Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Controversy over what Mozart Died of:

When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart took to bed on the twentieth of November in 1791, he would die, from what the death certificate said, from "Severe miliary fever." Though generally considered reliable documents, Mozart's death certificate was printed with the wrong age. When Mozart died, he was 35, not 36 as it said on his death certificate.

Dr. Thomas Franz Closset, one of the two doctors that were treating Mozart during his final stages, labeled his illnes as "heated miliary fever." For Mozart, having miliary fever was not an uncommon thing; he had contracted the disease three or four previous times in his short life. Though biographer Maynard Solomon states that "it is now widely accepted that Mozart died of acute rheumatic fever" (Solomon, 1995, 491), other theories have been made.

Severe* miliary fever is characterized by swelling of the hands and feet and sudden vomiting; at least one book, by Maynard Solomon, has that opinion. In Francis Carr's Book, Mozart and Constanze, he describes 'heated miliary fever' as: "an inflammation and swelling of the pores. It is caused by excessive sweating during a fever and produces a fine rash all over the body." He continues say that "The actual cause of death may well have been uraemia, complicated by a severe pneumonia." He believed that putting 'heated miliary fever' on the death certificate was just an evasion to the real cause of death. (Carr, 1983, 129) For a more detailed description of the various diseases Mozart could have died from read Francis Carr's Book, Mozart and Constanze.

Biographers have theorized ten different reasons for Mozart's death. These theories include, but are not limited to: rheumatic fever, uraemia, goitre, consumption, Bright's disease, miliary fever, malignant typhoid fever, dropsy, inflammation of the brain, deposit on the brain, "mercury poisoning (as a result of the administration of mercury in medicines)." Of all the theories that try to explain Mozart's real illness, none of them can really explain all of the symptoms that he had; Most of the theories contain both elements that support and conflict with Mozart's symptoms.

One of the questionable aspects about Mozart dying from rheumatic fever is the high level of contagiousness that the illness was characterized by. In a letter that Giuseppe Carpini wrote and published he said, "Mozart caught an infectious rheumatic fever which not only attacked him but also slaughtered all those others who caught it during those days." If it was indeed, so contagious, why did the people who were with Mozart in his final hours not contract the same disease?

The Main symptoms that Mozart showed during his illness were: a chill that turned into a violent fever, swelling of his hands and feet, and sudden vomiting. With all of these symptoms, Mozart was bedridden for the last fortnight of his life. One of his two surviving sons, Karl Thomas, said that the stench was so terrible that an "autopsy was rendered impossible" (Solomon, 1995, 493). Dr. Eduard Guldener wrote to the biographer of Haydn, Guiseppe Carpani, and told him what Dr. Closset believed about Mozart's illness. He was said to have " 'feared a fatal conclusion, namely a deposit on the brain" (Carr, 1983, 129).

Due to the discrepancies between musicologists in discerning the cause of Mozart's death his disease remains unknown

* Due to translational discrepancies, 'severe' can sometimes be identified as 'acute,' or 'heated' miliary fever.

	The Controversy over what Mozart Died of:
	When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart took to bed on the twentieth of November in 1791, he would die, from what the death certificate said, from "Severe miliary fever." Though generally considered reliable documents, Mozart's death certificate was printed with the wrong age. When Mozart died, he was 35, not 36 as it said on his death certificate. Dr. Thomas Franz Closset, one of the two doctors that were treating Mozart during his final stages, labeled his illnes as "heated miliary fever." For Mozart, having miliary fever was not an uncommon thing; he had contracted the disease three or four previous times in his short life. Though biographer Maynard Solomon states that "it is now widely accepted that Mozart died of acute rheumatic fever" (Solomon, 1995, 491), other theories have been made. Severe* miliary fever is characterized by swelling of the hands and feet and sudden vomiting; at least one book, by Maynard Solomon, has that opinion. In Francis Carr's Book, Mozart and Constanze, he describes 'heated miliary fever' as: "an inflammation and swelling of the pores. It is caused by excessive sweating during a fever and produces a fine rash all over the body." He continues say that "The actual cause of death may well have been uraemia, complicated by a severe pneumonia." He believed that putting 'heated miliary fever' on the death certificate was just an evasion to the real cause of death. (Carr, 1983, 129) For a more detailed description of the various diseases Mozart could have died from read Francis Carr's Book, Mozart and Constanze. Biographers have theorized ten different reasons for Mozart's death. These theories include, but are not limited to: rheumatic fever, uraemia, goitre, consumption, Bright's disease, miliary fever, malignant typhoid fever, dropsy, inflammation of the brain, deposit on the brain, "mercury poisoning (as a result of the administration of mercury in medicines)." Of all the theories that try to explain Mozart's real illness, none of them can really explain all of the symptoms that he had; Most of the theories contain both elements that support and conflict with Mozart's symptoms. One of the questionable aspects about Mozart dying from rheumatic fever is the high level of contagiousness that the illness was characterized by. In a letter that Giuseppe Carpini wrote and published he said, "Mozart caught an infectious rheumatic fever which not only attacked him but also slaughtered all those others who caught it during those days." If it was indeed, so contagious, why did the people who were with Mozart in his final hours not contract the same disease? The Main symptoms that Mozart showed during his illness were: a chill that turned into a violent fever, swelling of his hands and feet, and sudden vomiting. With all of these symptoms, Mozart was bedridden for the last fortnight of his life. One of his two surviving sons, Karl Thomas, said that the stench was so terrible that an "autopsy was rendered impossible" (Solomon, 1995, 493). Dr. Eduard Guldener wrote to the biographer of Haydn, Guiseppe Carpani, and told him what Dr. Closset believed about Mozart's illness. He was said to have " 'feared a fatal conclusion, namely a deposit on the brain" (Carr, 1983, 129). Due to the discrepancies between musicologists in discerning the cause of Mozart's death his disease remains unknown * Due to translational discrepancies, 'severe' can sometimes be identified as 'acute,' or 'heated' miliary fever.