The controversies about the cause of Mozart's death are related to the unusual nature of his symptoms as recounted by lay people, the absence of a medical record, the inordinate amount of publicity given over to the sensational poisoning allegations, and the substantial difficulty in the evaluation of the diverse original sources1–20. The controversies are especially concerned with the question of preexisting chronic illness and the interpretation of the swellings. A chronology of major events in the last few months of Mozart's life is given in Table 1.
BauerWADeutschOE. Mozart Briefe und Aufzeichnungen, 7 vols. Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1962–75.
2.
AndersonE.The Letters of Mozart and his Family.3rd edn.London: MacMillan Press, 1985.
3.
SchlichtegrollF.Nekrolog auf das Jahr 1791.Gotha: Justus Plathes, 1793 (Reprinted, Kassel: Bärenreiter, 1939).
4.
BeyleHenri StendhalThe Lives of Haydn, Mozart & Metastasio (Translator CoeR). London: Calder and Boyars, 1972.
5.
NiemetschekFX. Life of Mozart (Translator MautnerH). London: Leonard Hyman, 1956.
6.
RochlitzF.Verbürgte Anekdoten aus Wolfgang Gottlieb Mozarts Leben. Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung. Leipzig, 5 December 1798, cols. 148–149; 19 December 1798, cols 177–80.
7.
SolomonM.The Rochlitz Anecdotes: Issues of Authenticity in early Mozart biography. In: EisenC, ed. Mozart Studies.Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991: pp 1–59.
8.
Journ d Lux u d Mode1808; 11:803.
9.
EyblerJ.Selbstbiographie. Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung. Leipzig, 24 May 1826.
10.
A Posthumous tribute to Benedikt Schack. Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung. Leipzig, 25 July 1827.
11.
von NissenGN. Biographie W A Mozart.Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1828 (Reprinted, Hildesheim: Georg Olms Verlag, 1984).
12.
di MarignanoMedici NHughesR.A Mozart Pilgrimage: Being the Travel Diaries of Vincent and Mary Novello in the Year 1829.London: Novello, 1955.
13.
JahnO.W A Mozart.4 vols. Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel, 1856–59.
14.
HolmesE.The Life of Mozart.London: Chapman and Hall, 1845.
DeutschOE. Mozart: A Documentary Biography.2nd edn.London: Adam & Charles Black, 1966.
17.
RosenthalATysonA.Mozart's Thematic Catalogue: A Facsimile.London: The British Library, 1990.
18.
Historischen Museums der Stadt Wien. Zaubertdne: Mozart in Wien 1781–1791.Wien: Eigenverlag der Museen der Stadt Wien, 1991 (catalogue of an exhibition in the Kiintstlerhaus, 6 December 1990–15 September 1991).
19.
DaviesPJ. Mozart in Person: his Character and Health.New York: Greenwood Press, 1989.
20.
DaviesPJ. Mozart's health. MD Thesis Dissertation. University of Melbourne, 1991.
21.
BarraudJ.A quelle maladie a succombé Mozart?La Chronique Médicate1905; 12:737–44.
CleinGP. Mozart: A study in renal pathology. King's College Hospital Gazette1959; 37:37–45.
24.
ScarlettEP. The illnesses and death of Mozart. Arch Intern Med1964; 114:311–16.
25.
CarpL.Mozart: His tragic life and controversial death. Bull N Y Acad Med1970; 46:267–80.
26.
FlukerJL. Mozart: His health and death. Practitioner1972; 209:841–5.
27.
DaviesPJ. Mozart's illnesses and death. J R Soc Med1983; 76:776–85.
28.
O'SheaJ.Music and Medicine: Medical Profiles of Great Composers.London: J M Dent, 1990.
29.
WheaterM.Mozart's last illness: A medical diagnosis. J R Soc Med1990; 83:586–9.
30.
KarhausenLR. Contra Davies: Mozart's terminal illness. J R Soc Med1991; 84:734–6.
31.
ShapiroSL. Medical history of W A Mozart. Eye, Ear, Nose & Throat Monthly1968; 47:17–20.
32.
FrankenFH. Mozarts Todeskrankheit. Fortschritte der Medizin1980; 98:301–2.
33.
JenkinsJS. The medical history and death of Mozart. J R Coll Physicans Lond1991; 25:351–3.
34.
DaviesPJ. Mozart's death: A rebuttal of Karhausen. Further evidence for Schonlein-Henoch Syndrome. J R Soc Med1991; 84:737–40.
35.
BärC.Mozart: Krankheit-Tod-Begräbnis.2nd edn.Salzburg: Internationalen Stiftung Mozarteum, 1972.
36.
SakulaA.Amadeus: Was Mozart poisoned?Hist Med1980; January–February, 6–9.
37.
BoissevainW.Neue Erklärung der Todesursache-Mozarts: “Hitziges Frieselheber” war bakterielle Herzklappenentzündung. Mitteilungen der Internationalen Stiftung Mozarteum. Salzburg, July 1990:139–44.
38.
RappoportAE. Mozart's primary disease and cause of death: a multiple congenital malformation syndrome based on genetic, clinical and pathological study. Abstracts XVI Int Congr Acad Pathol G 476, 1986.
39.
DaviesPJ. Mozart's left ear, nephropathy and death. Med J Aust1987; 147:581–6.
40.
SederholmCG. Mozart's death. Music and Letters1951; 32:345–8.
41.
TrimarchiF.Genio e morte di Mozart revisitati dall'endocrinologo. Il Lanternino1991; 14:12–14.
42.
PuechBPuechP-FDhellemmesPPellerinPLepoutreFTichyG.Did Mozart have a chronic extradural haematoma?Injury1989; 20:327–30.
43.
DudaG.Gewiss man hat mir Gift gegeben.Pähl: F. V. Bebenburg, 1958.
44.
KernerD.Krankheiten Grosser Musiker.3rd edn.Stuttgart: F K Schattauer Verlag, 2 vols, 1973.
45.
AppoloniaMLO. Enigmi nella vita e sulla morte di W A Mozart. Il Lanternino1991; 14:8–12.
GreenSTGreenFAM. The great composers: Their premature deaths. J R Coll Physicians Lond1987; 21:202–5.
58.
SakulaA.The death of Mozart: A bicentenary medical review. Trans Med Soc Lond1990–91; 107:21–6.
59.
MutoG.La morte di Mozart: All'osservazione dell'urologo. Il Lanternino1991; 14:14–16.
60.
DalchowJDudaGKernerD.Mozarts Tod (1791–1971).Pähl: F. V. Bebenburg, 1971.
61.
WellsWC. On the presence of the red matter and serum of blood in the urine of dropsy, which has not originated from scarlet fever. Trans Soc Improve Med Chir Knowl1812; 3:194–240.
62.
BrightR.Reports of Medical Cases Selected with a View of Illustrating the Symptoms and Cure of Diseases by a Reference to Morbid Anatomy.2 vols. London: Longman, 1827–31.
63.
BrightR.Cases and observations, illustrative of renal disease accompanied with the secretion of albuminous urine. Guy's Hospital Reports1836; 1:338–400 and 1840;5:101–61.
64.
SchönleinJL. Peliosis rheumatica. Allgemeine und specielle Pathologie und Therapie1837; 2:48–9.
65.
HebraF.On diseases of the skin including the exanthemata.5 vols (Translator Hilton Fagge C). London: The New Sydenham Society, 1866–80.
66.
OslerW.The Principles and Practice of Medicine.New York: D Appleton, 1892.
67.
HeberdenW.Commentarii de morborum historia et curatione.Londini: T Payne, 1802.
68.
HenochEH. Über den Zusammenhang von Purpura und Intestinalstörungen. Berl Klin Wschr1868; 5:517–19.
