Death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Posthumous Diagnoses

Posthumous Diagnoses

Due to the primitive state of diagnosis at the time, it was impossible to determine what specifically had caused the composer's death. In the parish register, the entry concerning Mozart's death states he died of "severe miliary fever" – "miliary" referring to the appearance of millet-sized bumps on the skin, but not naming the actual disease.

A later theorizing rumor addressing the cause of Mozart's death was that he was poisoned by his colleague Antonio Salieri. These rumours, however, were not proven to be true as the signs of illness Mozart displayed did not indicate poisoning. Despite denying the rumors and allegations, Salieri was greatly affected by the accusations he contributed to Mozart's death and contributed to his nervous breakdowns in later life.

Some ascribe Mozart's death to malpractice on the part of his physician, Dr. Closset. Sophie Weber, in her 1825 account, makes the implication. Borowitz summarizes:

When Mozart appeared to be sinking, one of his doctors, Dr. Nikolaus Closset, was sent for and finally located at the theater. However, according to Sophie's account, that drama-lover "had to wait till the piece was over." When he arrived, he ordered cold compresses put on Mozart's feverish brow, but these "provided such a shock that he did not regain consciousness again before he died."

A suggestion is that Mozart died as a result of his hypochondria and his predilection to taking patent medicines containing antimony. In his final days, this was compounded by further prescriptions of antimony to relieve the fever he clearly suffered.

A panel of experts concluded in February 2000 that Mozart died of natural causes; physicians at the University of Maryland, Baltimore have concluded Mozart died from rheumatic fever. Among the physicians was Mozart scholar Neal Zaslaw, who stated that while rheumatic fever was the most likely diagnosis, it is not be possible to confirm the illness as the indisputable cause of death. He further stated that he believes it is highly unlikely Mozart died of unnatural causes.

In 2009, British, Viennese and Dutch researchers performed epidemiological research combined with a study of other deaths in Vienna at the time of Mozart's death. They concluded that Mozart may have died of a streptococcal infection leading to an acute nephritic syndrome caused by poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis. This disease was also called "Wassersucht" in Austria.

In a journal article dated 1908, it was suggested that Vitamin D deficiency could have played a role in Mozart's underlying medical conditions leading to his death.

A 1994 neurology article in PubMed suggests Mozart died of a subdural hematoma. A skull believed to be Mozart's was saved by the successor of the gravedigger who had supervised Mozart's burial, and later passed on to anatomist Josef Hyrtl, the municipality of Salzburg, and the Mozarteum museum (Salzburg). Forensic reconstruction of soft tissues related to the skull reveals substantial concordance with Mozart's portraits. Examination of the skull suggested a premature closure of the metopic suture, which has been suggested on the basis of his physiognomy. A left temporal fracture and concomitant erosions raise the question of a chronic subdural hematoma, which would be consistent with several falls in 1789 and 1790 and could have caused the weakness, headaches, and fainting Mozart experienced in 1790 and 1791. Additionally, aggressive bloodletting used to treat suspected rheumatic fever could have decompensated such a lesion, leading to his death.