[Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847): the mystery of his early death].
Composer and director of music at Leipzig's Gewandhaus Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy died remarkably young, on 4 November 1847, at the age of 38. The cause of his early death has been a mystery ever since. Three contemporary doctors diagnosed Nervenschlag ("nervous stroke"). Starting with a short outline of Mendelssohn's pathography, this paper includes and quotes for the first time all the contemporary accounts of his death. After considering the older medical interpretations, the paper considers these reports from the point of view of present-day neurological and psychiatric expertise. It reveals that all the accounts had been filed by medical laymen, so their personal impressions had played a major role in their reports. However, it is indisputable that it was pathologic brain alterations that lead to Mendelssohn's death. Weighing up and carefully considering the sources, the authors regard subarachnoidal hemorrhage (SAH) as a likely cause of death. There may even have been some kind of genetic predisposition, since what is reported in this paper regarding Mendelssohn's death also applies to the very similar symptoms and circumstances surrounding his sister Fanny's death.
Archiv für Leipziger Psychiatriegeschichte, Universität Leipzig.
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Schmideler
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Somburg
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Steinberg
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Splett
D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005197:Famous Persons; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D009146:Music / Q000266:history*; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis