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More has been written about Mozart's illnesses and death than for any other composer. An exploration of PAMA's Bibliography of Performing Arts Medicine provides the data for this review. The bibliography contained 136 entries that pertained to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Of these, 81 were available to the author, either in printed or electronic copy. In order to provide a clearer historical perspective on this topic, this review assembles information pertaining to illnesses and other medical problems that occurred during Mozart's life as well as those purportedly contributing to his death. Med Probl Perform Art 2010; 25:49-53.
More has been written about Mozart's illnesses and death than for any other composer. A recent search of the bibliographic database of the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) produced 136 references; obviously, the list is not comprehensive, and many additional publications remain to be found.1 Details of his medical history and cause of death on December 5, 1791, just prior to his 36th birthday, continue to create controversy among both medical and biographical historians. Reviewing the publications on this topic finds many of them to be confusing, complicated, conjectural, and contentious. Among biographers and medical authors, there is no agreement regarding his cause of death.2-4 One author admits that direct medical evidence is lacking,5 while others state that the exact cause remains unclear and speculative6,7 and has never been established with certainty.8 Mozart's medical historiography, compiled from various narratives, includes 118 different causes of death.9
There are several reasons to account for this lack of agreement. To begin with, there was no corpse to deal with, and no autopsy was performed.3,10 All the descriptions of his symptoms and condition were given by lay people, and some of those were first interviewed more than 30 years after his death!11 In addition, there are great differences in both medical standards and terminology between his death in 1791 and the present. The humoral theory of disease was prevalent in the late 18th century, but advances in medical science have replaced it with more accurate information. Definitions of rheumatism, rheumatic fever, inflammation, and catarrh also have greatly changed since that time. Finally, conflicting reports and testimonies were present even in early written sources.
An exploration of PAMA's bibliography12 provides the data...