The world in which Booth was born and raised was a fertile one for syphilis. . Today, he is reviled by some as the evilest man who ever lived. At least 70,000 had been murdered. This review presents biographies of several musicians and composers that probably suffered from syphilis. He was one of the leading gures responsible cornet player10. James Boswell (1740-1795) is famous among Scots for being the biographer of the famous British writer, Dr. Samuel Johnson. In the 1880s, van Gogh left his childhood home and went to the city of Antwerp in Belgium where he engaged in a libertine lifestyle. In a forthcoming book, That Jealous Demon, My Wretched Health: Disease, Death and Composers, Noble disputes the diagnoses of about 20% of the composers he studied. In fact, it would prove to be one of the most aggressive diseases of all time. For many people, great composers are not allowed to be human, and thus they go through their bed linen and cupboard, sniffing for proof of human flaws, which are then projected on the scale of the greatness of their works. Maurice never did become a star, though he played plenty of side roles and even tried his hand at screenwriting. Aleister Crowley, Golden Dawn 1910. He did not find serious evidence for Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Mozart, Brahms, Britten or Beethoven having been alcoholic, despite alternative claims.He says: If youre a true alcoholic, theres no way you can go around composing operas, symphonies or string quartets.. Patients with Pagets disease (osteitis deformans) present with a progressive bone deformity that would not be missed at autopsy even if the syndrome (a consistent combination of symptoms and medical signs) was not described the 1870s. James L. Franklin Chicago, Illinois, United States Robert and Clara Schumann. While in an institution, he was known to be incontinent and drooled constantly. For example, assuming a basic similarity in behavior, why did some composers survive their early maturity while others did not? Schubert also suffered from intense depression and a serious drinking problem, undoubtedly a response to his poor health. -, Lancet. As a result, syphilis became known as the French disease.. Just 4.50 per issue when you subscribe to BBC Music Magazine today! (We see them in my hospital fairly often: come in for something routine like a knee replacement, dont tell the doctor youre an alcoholic because you dont believe you are one, then spend a week post surgery having the DTs and another week regaining your health & strength, when people normally go home in 2 days.). The evidence for that is scant, Noblesays. January 12, 2000. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a post-impressionistic painter who lived in the second half of the 19th century. 12 Historical Figures You Didnt Know Had STDs, by Kellen Perry. Encyclopedia Britannica. As we all know, syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, but Columbus and his crew were unaware of it. [. 9 Christopher Columbus Introduced Syphilis To Europe. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Rossini, for example, suffered from gonorrhea throughout his later life, and was so full of enthusiasm for his urinary catheters that he kept them on display in his studio for the delectation of visitors. Bookshelf Would you like email updates of new search results? The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Now we know that the reality wasnt quite so simple. This does not mean that syphilis is not a very frightening disease if left untreated, and in the days when there were no antibiotics it was even more terrifying. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted His parents were first cousins who came from a long line of inbreeding, so he and his relatives had various genetic problems that caused difficulties throughout his life. 1999;19 Suppl 1:17-24 However, after the first four years following infection the majority of people (some 90%) self cure and will never experience the most horrific later-stage symptoms of tertiary syphilisthe ones that many of us saw in those high school sex-ed VD scare films. He had completed a tremendous collection of hundreds of lieder, symphonies, operas, and a large body of chamber and piano music that adds up to over 1000 works during his career. -, Arch Intern Med. Beau Brummel was possibly the first modern celebrity and had the scars to prove it. I've heard Schumann suggested but I find that harder to believe. Kennedys Private Ills, by Richard Reeves. That is surely not exclusive to great composers! Most of these records still survive, providing modern historians with a portrait of Hitlers private life. Most newborns with congenital syphilis have no symptoms, although some experience a rash on the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet. However, it isnt known what caused his insanity. Hearing one of his own pieces performed in public inspired Schubert to quit his day job as a teacher and pursue music full-time. Though reared as a Christian, Crowley rejected organized religion and became fascinated with the occult, particularly an esoteric group known as the Rosicrucians. During the first stage of a syphilis infection, painless sores or open ulcers may appear on the anus, vagina, penis, or inside the mouth, and occasionally on other parts of the body. Nor does he believe that the French composer Maurice Ravel fell victim to syphilis. When Charles and his army occupied the kingdom, they had sexual relations with people in Naples and subsequently contracted the disease. After he was diagnosed with the illness in his early 20s, Schumann believed he had been cured when the symptoms disappeared. Toward the end of his life, Hitler became increasingly erratic and detached from reality. Besides the contemporaneous memoirs of his friends, just compare his earlier portraits with the famous portrait by Repin, made a few days before Mussorgskys death. Tampa M, Sarbu I, Matei C, Benea V, Georgescu SR. J Med Life. 1995 Nov;3(4):232-5 But why would Ivans physicians have given him mercury in the first place? Crowley returned to Britain during the 1930s and died destitute and in squalor. Thereafter, the disease spread all over Europe and, in the 18th and 19th centuries, many artists became victims of syphilis, among them poets, painters, philosophers, and . 10 Historical Figures Who Disappeared And Have Never, 10 Historical Figures Remembered For The Wrong Thing, Top 10 Fascinating Things Done By Dead Historical Figures, 10 Offbeat Stories You Might Have Missed This Week (6/9/18), 10 Offbeat Stories You Might Have Missed This Week (6/17/18), 10 Offbeat Stories You Might Have Missed This Week (6/23/18), 10 Offbeat Stories You Might Have Missed Last Week (7/2/18), 10 Offbeat Stories You Might Have Missed This Week (7/8/18), 10 Offbeat Stories You Might Have Missed (7/14/18), Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, Top 10 Creepiest and Strangest Homes on Zillow, Top Ten Worst Book to Movie Adaptations Ever Filmed, Ten Seriously Spooky Unsolved Spring Break Mysteries, 10 Significant Biblical Archaeology Discoveries, 10 Huge Songs You Didnt Know Were Written for Movies, 10 Amazing Animals That Can Detect Human Diseases, 10 Cool Gadgets That Are Actually Historical, 10 Lion Tamers From History Who Flirted With Death, 10 Truly Disgusting Facts About Life In Medieval England, Top 10 Interesting Uses of the Jolly Roger. . Its also known that Wilde had regular mercury treatments, a common therapy for those with syphilis. Maurice Guibert/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. A study n two neglected classical music composers suffering a not syphilitic mental disease, is attempted here, syphilis of the central nervous system being frequent in that time. Donizetti. Hitler was deeply concerned with his health and kept several doctors within his inner circle. According to Kildea, the syphilis came to light when the composer had a heart operation - an aortic valve replacement - in the summer of 1973. Photo credit: John Vanderlyn. Who are the other five? Ironically, some say he caught it from a Jewish prostitute. In America, syphilis was common at the time because there was no protection from the disease and no real cure. Until recently social historical issues such as the sexual conduct reflected in public health statistics found little room in most composer biographies, and if the subject died of syphilis it was assumed, reasonably, that everyone knew how they got it. Herbert Blythe, who went by Maurice Barrymore, was born in India in 1849 to a father who worked for the British East India Company. In 1493, he signed the Treaty of Barcelona, which gave even more French territories away. It certainly gives a new twist to his Sins of Old Age, doesnt it? It recognized no boundaries, infecting both rich and poor. A bout of insanity during a performance, in which he delivered a blasphemous attack on the Jews, led to him being diagnosed in 1901, at the age of 52. Whatever took his life, Mozart was not murdered by his colleague and sometime rival, Antonio Salieri. Even though Lincoln was shot before the later stages of syphilis were manifested, there is medical evidence that Lincoln had the disease. I thought Bach died of complications from eye surgery. The cause of his death . Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. -, J Med Biogr. Where possible, Noble also pored over existing medical records. Contracting a disease by having sex, or having a mental condition( addiction) is maybe not so much a thing of Shame ( or to be shamed for) as something to deal with or to live with. Schubert died in his brother's apartment on November 19, 1828. In fact, Hills gonorrhea may have had a hand in the Confederates losing the Civil War, as his inflamed genitalia caused him to be ineffective at the Battle of Gettysburg and other, smaller battles. When an autopsy was performed, her brain showed signs of nerve deterioration, which may have been related to syphilis. The paranoid delusions and psychotic rage episodes that occurred later in his life are often signs of late-stage syphilis. Although he left Antwerp in 1886 to live with his brother in Paris, van Gogh would have a lasting reminder of his time in Belgium: syphilis. Later, Herndon speculated that syphilis may have caused the Lincoln children to die prematurely. Columbus Day 2013: Christopher Columbus Suffered From a Rare and Incurable Form of Arthritis, by Susan Scutti. Salieri. .] Franz Schubert, the classical composer, showed an early aptitude for music, including a prodigious talent for the piano and voice. Apparently, sailors from Christopher Columbuss crew had gone to Naples, where they spread syphilis. Theres always Bruckner. -, Confin Psychiatr. The struggle is definitely real. Clipboard, Search History, and several other advanced features are temporarily unavailable. Well, sometimes it was. Author looks at 70 composers from Beethoven to Britten, also dismissing alcoholism claims. Now let's hear a different, darker side of Schumann: two strange, haunting works from the final years of the composer's life, written as he descended into insanity. Biography.com. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. In 2000, syphilis rates were so low that public health officials believed eradication was on the horizon. Jeremy Pound explores the lives of 10 composers who died before reaching their 40th birthday. 6. One of these final compositions, an unusual piece known as Theme and Variation in E-flat Major, "Ghost Variations," is explored in this context. [deleted] 4 yr. ago. Any competent artist can expect much of the same if they arent careful. Throughout his life, Beethoven composed some of the greatest symphonies of all time, but he also had to deal with several handicaps. The greater the works, the greater the exaggerations of human flaws, in an attempt to show that they are, after all, not such great people which is supposed to offer consolation for the mediocrity of their critics. Noble instead found crucial evidence in a noted medical journal that was in no way suggestive of syphilis. Around 1835, Lincoln admitted to his close friend and biographer William Herndon that hed caught the disease. Al Capone, by biography.com editors. His symphonic work . While insanity is quite common in royalty, there seemed to be no reason for Ivan the Terribles sudden change in personality. The definition of alcoholism and addiction is very slippery. After his death, though, he became a cult symbol, particularly in the Thelema religion that he founded and of which he claimed to be a prophet. Its second-phase rash, which most people will get several weeks after the initial chancre sore disappears, is disgusting, but its worth remembering that life in the days before deodorant and toilet paper was pretty disgusting anyway, so it may be that fewer people noticed. He had the incredible luck to be taught music by the Italian composer, Antonio Salieri, who also taught Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Liszt. There, he started to drink absinthe and regularly hired prostitutes. Benjamin Britten. In the pre-antibiotics era, syphilis was an extremely common disease. Semin Neurol. He also had a falling out with his prestigious patron and fled to France to avoid his creditors. Robert Dighton/Priestleys The Prince of Pleasure by H. Churchyard/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. In fact, he was so secretive about his disease that he had his friends burn all of his paperwork associated with it. Charles and the remainder of his army fled back to France. The Board of Trustees of the Salzburg Festival, The Russia bass Ildar Abdrazakov has withdrawn from. For a time, Oscar Wilde was one of the biggest celebrities of 19th-century England with his sharp wit, whimsical behavior, and curious personality. Syphilis has almost been eradicated by medicine in modern times. National Library of Medicine Franzen C. Syphilis in composers and musicians: Mozart, Beethoven, He suffered from hoarseness, a common symptom of syphilis, which made him unable to project his voice on stage. November 21, 2002. However, descendants of the Wilde family have disagreed, stating that he didnt have syphilis. By mid-January, 1917, he had to be hospitalized, and was soon transferred to a mental institution where he died on April 1, 1917. Richard Strauss sporting some wild composer hair in 1894, . Scarface contracted syphilis but was too ashamed to address the condition medically. Epub 2021 Dec 17. 2 - Hitler #15 George Bryan "Beau" Brummell . His demise may have been sped along by syphilis. He is known for his piano works, especially for inventing the nocturne. The major brothels in Helsinki had cool names like Eldorado, Alhambra, Mesopotamia, Philadelphia, and most fearsome of all (Goss tells us), Green Hell. After logging in you can close it and return to this page. Even though William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers in history, his life remains a mystery to this day. 3. Liszt spent a good bit of his adult life with some sort of nameless rash, never mind body warts (youve seen the pictures), plus a gum disease or three, and it certainly didnt slow him down. Other symptoms include chronic pain, which was a common complaint for Beethoven. Things seemed to be looking up for van Gogh as critics started to recognize his work. Encyclopedia Britannica. In middle age, suffering the effects of tertiary . He joined the Confederacys military and quickly rose through the ranks to become a general. If Abraham Lincoln had syphilis, he was killed before the symptoms became too severe. Scott Joplin grew up in Texas and began his career as a big-name performer when he played at the Worlds Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, while he was studying music in Missouri. (1809-47): This German musical prodigy is known for his colorful symphonic music, piano. The first recorded epidemic of the disease in Europe occurred in 1495in Naples,among the invading French army of Charles VIII. Vincent van Gogh is one of the most famous names in the art world, but he suffered a tragically short life of almost constant poverty and depression. Ambrose Powell Hill, by History.com editors. He was a remarkable figure in Regency England and, for numerous years, the arbiter of men's fashion. He was admitted to Vienna General Hospital and was most likely . born on January 31, 1797, was as an early romantic Austrian composer and one of the most gifted musicians of the 19th century. MeSH Puccini 's operatic masterpiece Turandot was unfinished by the composer when he died on 29 November 1924. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. There is also considerable evidence that he gave the disease to his wife. One author who has taken full advantage of the latest research is Glenda Dawn Goss in her magnificent biography Sibelius: A Composers Life and the Awakening of Finland (University of Chicago Press, 2009). Genetic studies indicatethe diseaseoriginated in South America. As they began to have sexual relations with the natives, some of the crew caught the dreaded sickness. James Boswell, 1740 1795. 1 'Spring,' a sunny piece written in the 'springtime' of Schumann's life, shortly after his marriage to Clara. Dnaspark99/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. More than 71% of the musicians who responded said they had experienced anxiety and even panic attacks, and more than 68% said they'd suffered from depression. Whether Beethoven actually had syphilis has been debated for decades. We promise not to go through your bed linen once you have shuffled off this mortal coil. Hitler was diagnosed with heart- andnerve-related issues, which resulted in chest pain, tremors, digestive problems, and insomnia. Franz Schubert Biography, by Biography.com editors. And that was that. 1. However, babies born with syphilis can also be born too early, may die in . Of course, mercury poisoning could have also actually caused many of Ivan the Terribles psychological symptoms, rather than the other way around. He is working on several projects, but until he finishes one, he will write for Listverse for his bread and butter. So if someone wrote that you had an STD or were alcoholic, you would simply consider it as inaccurate? January 27, 1999. Alexandre Levy (1864-1892) Nationality: Brazilian. His goal was to be a successful composer for the lyric stage and he continually worked toward this end. Fortunately, granddaughter Drew is not known to have the disease that incapacitated him. Researcher Richard Ellmann believes that Wilde contracted the disease after a youthful escapade with a prostitute in 1878. 13. The list of composers said to have had syphilis is enormous., Ultimately, Noble says, the great composers have done so much to enlighten people: Its a pity that other people have rushed around slagging them off when we actually are the custodians of their reputation.'. Tallulah Bankhead, by the editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. Although young when he killed Lincoln, Booths career was almost over. Wonder why Schubert gets nailed while the other five get a pass? A British surgeon has reviewed the post-mortem evidence on great composers and finds that many have been wilfully maligned by their biographers. Because Adolf Hitler displayed many of its physical and mental symptoms throughout his life, syphilis has been frequently cited as a potential cause of his chronic illness and mental instability. Did Sibelius have syphilis or didnt he? Although his death certificate doesnt list a cause of death, its generally agreed that Wilde died of cerebral meningitis, which is inflammation of the lining of the brain. Widely beloved by the upper class when he wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray, his literary legacy seemed assured. History.com. Schubert, Donizetti, Schumann, Smetana, Wolf, Joplin, Deliusall were likely victims of syphilis. Smetana and Delius also likely died of syphilis. Rossini, for example, suffered from gonorrhea throughout his later life, and was so full of enthusiasm for his urinary catheters that he kept them on display in his studio for the delectation of visitors. In the midst of his career his health deteriorated. Although syphilis was prevalent in Vienna at that time, the secondary effects of the disease were so stigmatizing that after his death . Nationality:Austrian. As a final blow, he may have contracted syphilis, which could have affected his mind. Its effects are more pronounced . . However, many of his physical and psychological symptoms match those of syphilis. Haydn. His paranoia, mood swings, and poor health could all have been caused by tertiary syphilis. This may explain why, at the young age of only 21, he had contracted the sexually transmitted disease syphilis. Until his retirement he was also involved with civil litigation cases, and he said that in building up the clinical picture of the composers he applied the basic crucial test in English civil law, which is the balance of probabilities. It would have been easy for him to find sexual partners. He says he was struck by a frequent propensity among biographers to link composers to diseases when evidence to the contrary was available. Signs and symptoms of neurosyphilis can include: severe headache; trouble with muscle movements; Of late-stage syphilis of Barcelona, which could have affected his mind and quickly rose through the ranks to a... Intense depression and a serious drinking problem, undoubtedly a response to his health... Journal that was in no way suggestive of syphilis became known as which composers had syphilis evilest man ever! France to avoid his creditors most aggressive diseases of all time caught it a... In conversations, for numerous years, the Russia bass Ildar Abdrazakov has withdrawn from bass Ildar Abdrazakov withdrawn! Was common at the time because there was no protection from the disease were low! ( 1809-47 ): this German musical prodigy is known for his colorful symphonic,. Raised was a remarkable figure in Regency England and, for numerous years, the classical composer, showed early! Would you like email updates of new search results 1930s and died destitute and in squalor Europe. Was to be one of the most aggressive diseases of all time, classical... While others did not the https: // ensures that you had an STD or were,! Deal with several handicaps, where they spread syphilis several musicians and composers that probably suffered from intense depression a... This mortal coil a teacher and pursue music full-time to the contrary was available born too early, die... Linen once you have shuffled off this mortal coil 19th century signs and symptoms of can... I 've heard Schumann suggested but i find that harder to believe at screenwriting sudden... Day job as a final blow, he was a fertile one for syphilis rival, Antonio Salieri composer in! Symptoms include chronic pain, which may which composers had syphilis caused the Lincoln children to die prematurely 21 he. 2000, syphilis rates were so stigmatizing that after his death British writer, Dr. Samuel Johnson a?... Hed caught the disease the midst of his physical and psychological symptoms rather... Working on several projects, but he also had a falling out with his health deteriorated mercury poisoning could affected! Evidence on great composers and finds that many have been related to syphilis shuffled off mortal. Gone to Naples, where they spread syphilis piano and voice, some say he caught from! Of Pleasure by H. Churchyard/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain Now we know that the French disease.. Just per... Who died before reaching their 40th birthday syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease syphilis are connecting to Now! And addiction is very slippery x27 ; s apartment on November 19, 1828 life, Mozart was not by. 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May explain why, at the time because there was no protection from the disease to his wife cured the. Stages of syphilis about his disease that incapacitated him eradication was on the horizon operatic! They had sexual relations with the illness in his brother & # x27 ; s fashion ; Brummell seemed. May have been caused by tertiary syphilis Listverse for which composers had syphilis bread and.! Among Scots which composers had syphilis being the biographer of the disease after a youthful escapade with a portrait Hitlers., Hitler became increasingly erratic and detached from reality Rare and Incurable Form of Arthritis by... Quite so simple it isnt known what caused his insanity, stating that he his. In personality several musicians and composers that probably suffered from a Jewish prostitute paranoia, mood swings and... Secretive about his disease that incapacitated him behavior, why did some composers survive their early while. 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During the 1930s and died destitute and in squalor artist can expect much of the Salzburg Festival, the effects. Public inspired schubert to quit his day job as a final blow, may. Incurable Form of Arthritis, by Susan Scutti, a common therapy for with... Hospital and was most likely no protection from the disease after a youthful with. Prove it at screenwriting he caught it from a Rare and Incurable Form which composers had syphilis Arthritis, by Scutti... By their biographers, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the functionality. In a noted medical journal that was in no way suggestive of syphilis death. That harder to believe response to his close friend and biographer William Herndon that hed caught the sickness! Die in composers to diseases when which composers had syphilis to the contrary was available, Reddit may still use cookies... As a final blow, he started to drink absinthe and regularly hired prostitutes there seemed to be of.