Strep Throat May Have Led to Mozart's Death

http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/dead/630089.html ^ | August 17, 2009

[ConservativeStatement]

MONDAY, Aug. 17 (HealthDay News) -- It's one of the enduring mysteries of classical music: What -- or who -- killed Mozart at the age of 35 when he was at the height of his creative powers?

Now, there's a new theory: He died of complications of strep throat.

The latest hypothesis lacks the inherent drama of murder by a rival or suicide, which have both been suggested as causes of Mozart's death. But Andrew Steptoe, co-author of a historical diagnosis published Aug. 18 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, said an infection makes the most sense, considering medical records from the time, which was Vienna in 1791.

"We have for the first time analyzed the causes of death that were prevalent over the period during which he died," said Steptoe, an epidemiologist at University College London. "This has given us ideas about what medical problems were widespread at that time, and we have been able to link this with the known facts about Mozart's death."

[Popman]

I never knew Mozart died at 35. Imagine what the world missed out by his life being cut short.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I'd have been dead long before 35 if not for the miracle of antibiotics.

Thank God for antibiotics.

[InvisibleChurch]

If by “strep throat” you mean “George Bush”, then, yes, I agree.

[randita]

bump

[ConservativeStatement]

Or trans fat. :-)

[FrdmLvr]

But remember, he got a real early start.

[tflabo]

That’s quite a moronic comment! Care to expound on it?

[Sacajaweau]

Antibiotics do save lives and suffering. IMHO, ordinary cleanliness still ranks as the No. 1 prevention of ordinary infections.

Cleanliness includes....If you're sick....stay home!!!

[La Lydia]

Check out Amadeus from netflicks. It is a great movie.

[tflabo]

George Washington died from strept throat complications at age 67.

[Political Junkie Too]

If only his doctor was incentivized to remove his tonsils... < /sarc>

-PJ

[SteamShovel]

Cleanliness includes....If you're sick....stay home!!!

Tell that to bosses everywhere.....

.....Many consider it a badge of honor to come to work sicker than a dog.

They even brag about it. Then the employees get sick and have to suffer because "the boss did" when in fact, if the boss had stayed home, the employees wouldn't have caught it from him.

[sitetest]

Dear randita,

Thanks for the ping!

Classical Music Ping List ping!

If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.

Thanks,

sitetest

[dorothy]

I never knew Mozart died at 35

That reminded me of an old Tom Lehrer line (paraphrased): "It gives me pause to realize that when Mozart was my age he'd been dead for 7 years."

[Sacajaweau]

He did have a bad cold and I'd probably guess pneumonia before strep....I'm inclined to think the "bleeding" was the real culprit...so weakening his system, we lost him...

I don't think I've heard the strep theory before.

[A_Former_Democrat]

My thoughts, as well as the same about Buddy Holly

[Born Conservative]

Ping

[mortal19440]

He was waiting for Obamacare and after all this time we diagnosed the problem. Too bad Motz.

[Sans-Culotte]

Strep is still a serious illness. Gustav Mahler died of it, too.

[ml/nj]

I haven't looked at it in a long time, but those interested in this topic might enjoy 1791: Mozart's Last Year by H. C. Robbins Landon. Very sad at the end, when this great man succumbs, but I do remember it being a very good book.

ML/NJ

[Borges]

Schubert was 31 when he died. Keats was 26.

[Mogollon]

Strep throat, even with antibiotics is dangerous because the dead strep bacteria can plug the renal nephrons in the kidney and cause the blood pressure to sky-rocket.

[DvdMom]

ping

[Pompah]

A few years back I read an article on this subject.
The conclusion was,as I recall was that Herr Mozart
was done in by a plate of undercooked pork cutlets.

And the true cause of his demise was “Trichinosis”.

Sounded good to me. have loved his music all my life.

[SamiGirl]

Thanks for posting this. Mozart is my favorite. I am especially fond of his Piano Concerto #20 — I love to play it and I love to listen to it.

He also toured a lot and had his own groupies. I think of him as the rock star of the 18th century. He composed over 600 works in his short life. Imagine if he had lived to an old age.

I guess now you know I am a musician.

[autumnraine]

Tell it to bosses when they rag on employees for being out sick!! I can understand a person who is constantly out ‘sick’, but there are times when it is in EVERYONE’s best interest to stay home.

I had one woman come to work with MRSA pnuemonia and had her IV hooked up to her in her office!

I pitched an every loving fit and when I finally mentioned that it was contagious (and since I sat right outside her office and listened to the hacking, wheezing and coughing all day freaking out at even the thought of breathing in) the bosses had a meeting ASAP.

It’s good to not be out sick, it’s stupid to contaminate everyone else in the vicinity.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Salieri’s fault.

[InvisibleChurch]

So whatever became of Phoebe Cates?

[neverdem]

Thanks for the micro pings, Born Conservative and DvdMom. I’ll read it now.

[ConservativeStatement]

I don’t know enough of the style of music to make a responsible comment but the history associated with the talent of Mozart coupled with the text of this article is intriguing. Good luck with the music.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Got older, married that Kevin Kline guy, squeezed out some kids. You know the score.

[Born Conservative]

I think he/she meant that George Bush is the blame for everything in some people’s eyes, therefore substitute “George Bush” for “strep throat”.

[Born Conservative]

Scarlet fever, they say, is an alternative possibility, but less likely.

Scarlet Fever is strep throat with a rash. Many of these "journalists" are idiots when they attempt to write articles pertaining to diseases.

[Glenn]

Strep is still a serious illness.

It didn't kill me, but it took my hearing and inner ears.

Run to the nearest ER or Clinic if you get it.

[FrPR]

Absolutely! With 35 more years to sign his own name to the works of Haydn, Abel, Novotny, etc., and especially his own Father’s compositions, he might have made enough money to get by. W. A. Mozart was a child prodigy, and a nominally talented composer. But he was also a fraud. His greatness came long after his death, long after his wife Constanza created an estate - and a legend - out of whole cloth.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Not the usual score, from 22 February 2009:

[fieldmarshaldj]

She'll always be this to me. ;-)

[Kenny Bunk]

Phoebe Cates?

Married Kevin Kline. I got there too late to stop it. She'll always be my "Princess Caraboo."

[Kenny Bunk]

Wolfgang? Dead? Really, you people could have written to let me know! Did someone tell Tony?

[paulycy]

Wolfgang? Dead? Really, you people could have written to let me know!

Sorry you missed it. The Requiem was beautiful.

[Kenny Bunk]

.....sign his own name to the works of Haydn, Abel, Novotny, etc., and especially his own Father’s compositions, W. A. Mozart was a child prodigy, and a nominally talented composer. But he was also a fraud....

Of course he didn't compose that music ... he was far too busy authoring all that Shakespeare stuff ... and according to photographic evidence ... may have been the man on the Grassy Knoll.

Sacre bleu ... a fondré mon chapeau de feuille d'étain!

[Pharmboy]

It could have been strep throat, or another theory has the infection caused by a bug called Hemophilus influenzae. But a strep throat alone would not have killed him: one of two possibilities for the General. 1) a peri-tonsillar abscessas a complication or 2) bled to death by his medics.