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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Strep Throat Likely Killed Mozart

'Minor epidemic' hit Vienna

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(Newser) – Some have speculated Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died of eating undercooked pork; others have said he was poisoned. Now researchers believe he may have died of strep throat, Reuters reports. There was a “minor epidemic” of strep in Vienna when Mozart died, and findings suggest “Mozart was one of several persons in that epidemic that developed a deadly kidney complication,” researchers say.

Witnesses had said Mozart got sick with “inflammatory fever,” which fits with the strep theory, researchers note.

Sheet music, recently identified as part of a childhood creation by Mozart, is seen in Salzburg, Austria, Aug. 2, 2009.
Sheet music, recently identified as part of a childhood creation by Mozart, is seen in Salzburg, Austria, Aug. 2, 2009.   (AP Photo/ Kerstin Joensson)
This is an undated portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
This is an undated portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.   (AP Photo)
A bust of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stands in the garden of Bertramka Villa, where Mozart stayed and composed, January 22, 2006 in Prague, Czech Republic.
A bust of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stands in the garden of Bertramka Villa, where Mozart stayed and composed, January 22, 2006 in Prague, Czech Republic.   (Getty Images)
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4 comments
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Timinator2K
Aug 18, 09 8:01 AM CDT
No doubt got it from smooching strep-throated groupies. Reply
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divetrader
Oct 3, 09 12:49 PM CDT
At least he didn't die from parasites like the dinosaurs.
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DarkFrancis
Aug 18, 09 8:23 AM CDT
The pork chop 'theory' was based on a letter he'd written to a friend in the weeks leading up to his death, in which he stated he was about to chow down on one. No more evidence than that. The poisoning silliness is no more than literary fun...everyone knows about the Peter Shaffer play and film 'Amadeus' in which rival Salieri drives Mozart to his death, but less well-known is the play 'Mozart & Salieri' by Pushkin, written only 40 years after Mozart's death and nine years after Salieri's. Here's what we do know about the man: 1) He's dead and 2) he wrote some of the most amazing music in history. Reply
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Newser001
Aug 18, 09 8:53 PM CDT
Yes, indeed he did !!! Well put, DarkFrancis ! (Wasn't familiar with the porky theory, tanks). For those of you who have never had the exceptional and timeless experienced of 'Amadeus', do so… Sheer Utter Brilliance - Hilarious to melancholy; every emotion in between, unbeatable score and plot (5/5). Place it in your Netflix cue, you won't regret it.
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