Chopin’s mystery illness
COMPOSER MIGHT HAVE DIED OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS Scientists postulate a second possible cause for virtuoso’s youthful passing.
The heart of Frederic Chopin, among the world’s most cherished musical virtuosos, may finally have given up the cause of his untimely death. The prolific 19th-century Polish-French pianist and composer died at the age of 39 of what had long been believed to be tuberculosis (TB).
However, in 2008, Polish medical experts raised the possibility that Chopin – whose health had always been very frail – had actually suffered from cystic fibrosis.
The genetic respiratory illness clogs the lungs with sticky, thick mucus and sufferers on average generally do not survive past their late 30s.
Now, Polish scientists, who were the first to use modern technology to study Chopin’s heart – preserved for the last 168 years inside a crystal jar in what appears to be cognac – believe they are a step closer to accurate diagnosis.
“We can say that it is highly possible that it was tuberculosis,” lead researcher Professor Michael Witt, a top specialist in molecular and clinical genetics, told AFP.
Unable to open the hermetically sealed jar, his team of medical experts used high-resolution photographs taken in 2014 to make their diagnosis.
“The lesions which we saw, fit well with the initial diagnosis which was held for years, namely tuberculosis.
“The lesions are clearly visible on the pericardium of Chopin’s heart,” Witt said, referring to the organ’s outer membrane typically affected by complications stemming from TB.
The findings by Witt and his team are due to be published in the February print issue of the esteemed American Journal of Medicine, complete with a unique photograph of the pickled heart.
But without DNA tests, Witt admits that he cannot entirely rule out the possibility of cystic fibrosis.
In 2008, Poland’s culture ministry rejected a request by academics to run DNA tests on the relic to check for the CFTR gene, a tell-tale sign of cystic fibrosis, over fears the procedure could damage the preserved organ.
Whether Chopin suffered from cystic fibrosis is still debatable, Witt told AFP.
“We cannot prove this for sure, but the likelihood that it was tuberculosis rather than cystic fibrosis is far, far higher.
“We can say that with a high degree of confidence.”
Records show that as an adult weighing 40kg at a height of 1.70m, Chopin was chronically underweight, a typical symptom of cystic fibrosis.
Without genetic tests, it is also impossible to be entirely certain that the organ itself is Chopin’s, although, as Witt points out, there “is no reason to believe that it isn’t, at least to our knowledge”.
Last examined in 1945 after World War II, the heart is “clearly visible” and well preserved in what Witt calls a “light amber brown” liquid.
“It’s highly possible that it [the liquid] is cognac,” he said, because it was used as a preservative by the French.
Chopin’s heart is kept inside Warsaw’s Church of the Holy Cross. After his death in exile in Paris in 1849, it was brought to Warsaw by his elder sister Ludwika to honour his dying wish.
The rest of Chopin’s remains are buried in the French capital’s Pere Lachaise cemetery. – AFP Vote for your favourite Player of the Month and stand a chance to WIN R350 airtime. Get your copy of The Citizen on the first Tuesday of the month for entry details. The competition runs monthly until the end of the 2018 PSL season.