Victoria Wapf - The Disease of Chopin. A comprehensive study of a lifelong suffering

Still, Franzen (2010) holds a slightly different opinion:

“During his childhood and adolescence no abnormalities found in Chopin’s medical history. This [was] despite of colds, rhinitis and “catarrhal affections”, frequently mentioned in Chopin’s letters 20 20 Franzen, C. (2010), “ Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann und Gustav Mahler: Musik und Medizin zwischen Romantik und Moderne ”, DMW – Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift., Dec, 2010. Vol. 135 (51/52), pp. 2579—2587. Thieme Publishing Group. .

Ganche (1935) describes a fourteen years old Frédéric as having a frail body and a bony face, emaciated and white 21 21 Ganche, E. (1935), “ Souffrances de Frederic Chopin. Essai de médecine et de psychologie”. Paris: Mercure de France, p. 115. . Ganche quotes the first letter of adolescent Chopin, dated by the 10 thof August 1824 where the boy reveals that a bottle of pills is sent to him by his parents during his stay in the countryside, and it should last for almost a month.

Further authors draw a line upon those accounts: “From 15 years of age the composer was never without some evidence of respiratory disease… foggy or wintry weather provoked both respiratory disease and paroxysms of coughing 22 22 O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9 , with significant frontal headaches and respiratory symptoms 23 23 Breitenfeld, D., Kust, D.,Turuk, V., Vucak, I., Buljan, D., Zupanic, M., Lucijanic, M. (2010), “Frederic Chopin and Other Composers Tuberculotics – Pathography ”. Alcoholism 46 (2) , 101—7. . Also Erlinger (2010) refers to 1826 as the year of the first exacerbation of Chopin’s illness 24 24 Erlinger, S. (2010), “Frederic Chopin and Michael Jackson: What could they have in common?”, Gastroenterologie Clinique et Biologique 34 (4—5), 246, referring to G. Sand’s and F. Liszt’s accounts. . Erlinger lists following clinical symptoms:

“… repeated episodes of productive cough, asthenia, fever and hemoptysis…at that time, he has an illness lasting 6 months, with respiratory complaints, and severe headaches”.

Kubba and Young (1998), describing the same episode, noted that this illness has even endangered Chopin’s life 25 25 Kubba, A., Young, M. (1998), “ The long suffering of Frederic Chopin ”, Chest 113 (1) , 210—6 . Chopin was described as “frail, slim, with sunken cheeks”. He was said to “die early as many geniuses before him did”, and he was always coming after physical activity “tired and without any breath” 26 26 Majka, L., Gozdzik, J. (2003), “ Cystic fibrosis – a probable cause of Frederic Chopin’s suffering and death ”. J Appl Genet. 2003; 44 (1): 77—84, referring to Sieluzycki (1981).“ Frederick Chopin’s diseases. Their pathogenesis and treatment ”. Arch Hist Med (Warsz). 1981; 44 (3—4): 237—56 44 (3—4), 237—56. . On February 12 th1826 Chopin writes to his friend Jan Bialoblocki that he is sick (as “everybody else”) and his glands are swollen 27 27 Chopin, F., Scharlitt, B. “ Friederich Chopins gesammelte Briefe ”. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1911, as cited in Franzen, C. (2010), “ Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann und Gustav Mahler: Musik und Medizin zwischen Romantik und Moderne ”, DMW – Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift., Dec, 2010. Vol. 135 (51/52) , pp. 2579—2587. Thieme Publishing Group. and in O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9. . However, Chopin fully recovers from this ailment and his swollen glands (that were interpreted by some authors as cervical lymphadenopathy 28 28 Kubba, A., Young, M. (1998), “ The long suffering of Frederic Chopin ”, Chest 113 (1) , 210—6 ) are healed by September 1826 without sequelae. His later episodes of illness tend to take the same course – always a full recovery, but the next strike of a disease follows after some time.

On November 2 nd1826, in another letter to Jean Bialoblocki 29 29 as cited in Ganche, E. (1935), “ Souffrances de Frederic Chopin. Essai de médecine et de psychologie”. Paris: Mercure de France, p. 116. , Chopin writes that he is not going to school and that he finds it a pinnacle of absurdity to rest for six hours a day, while the German and Polish-German doctors have prescribed him as many walks as possible. This letter also gives a glimpse into Chopin’s treatment: emetic drinks (upon a prescription by Dr. Malcz) and a diet of oatmeal. Chopin’s therapies will be further discussed in Chapter, “”.

In 1830, Chopin left Warsaw for a trip, including Vienna, Munich, and Stuttgart, to Paris. One of his Viennese encounters, a professor of music, Václav Würfel (1790 – 1832) suffered from tuberculosis. Chopin’s nose swelled embarrassingly with a prolonged cold and at times even forced him to cancel concerts 30 30 O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9. . However, Wilfred (2010) argued that there is no evidence that Chopin, aged twenty-one, was in “poor health or affected by the illness that would plague him in later life” 31 31 Wilfred, N. (2011), “Chopin’s heart” , Hektoen Int’l Volume 3 , Issue 1, referring to Long, E. (1956), “ A History of the Therapy of Tuberculosis and the Case of Frederic Chopin ”, Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 1956. .

In Paris (1831) Chopin had an episode of hemoptysis and fever but recovered very quickly 32 32 O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9. . On Christmas Day, 1831, he wrote to his friend of many years (and once a love interest) Titus Woyciechowski, « [O] utwardly I am cheerful but inside me I am tortured with all sorts of forebodings.” Chopin does not associate his premonitions with any particular physical ailment, but subsequent letters speak of ill health with increasing frequency 33 33 Hedley, A. “ Selected correspondence of Fryderyk Chopin ”. London: Heinemann; 1962, as cited in Wilfred, N. (2011), “Chopin’s heart” , Hektoen Int’l Volume 3 , Issue 1. . No known medical records dated 1832 through 1835 shed further light on Chopin’s health 34 34 Ganche, E. (1935), “ Souffrances de Frederic Chopin. Essai de médecine et de psychologie”. Paris: Mercure de France, p. 120. . He seems to have has a quiet phase for nearly five years and this is probably the happiest period of his life. Various sources show that between autumn of 1835 (following a resort stay in Karlsbad) and autumn of 1838, Chopin has had bouts of bronchitis and suppurative laryngitis. Though those bouts always resolved, they recurred again after some time 35 35 a) O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9. b). Chopin F, Scharlitt B. (1911). “ Friederich Chopins gesammelte Briefe ”. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, as cited by Franzen C (2010), “ Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann und Gustav Mahler: Musik und Medizin zwischen Romantik und Moderne ”, DMW – Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift., Dec, 2010. Vol. 135 (51/52), pp. 2579—2587. Thieme Publishing Group. .

According to those sources, in autumn of 1835, Chopin suffered of cough, fever and hemoptysis 36 36 Chopin, F., Scharlitt, B. (1911). “ Friederich Chopins gesammelte Briefe ”. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, as cited by Franzen C (2010), “ Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann und Gustav Mahler: Musik und Medizin zwischen Romantik und Moderne ”, DMW – Deutsche Medizinische Wochenschrift., Dec, 2010. Vol. 135 (51/52), pp. 2579—2587. Thieme Publishing Group. . Most likely, his condition was unusually serious at that time and Chopin may have suffered from depression. This was the time when he composed his famous “Funeral March” from his “Sonata in B Flat Minor” and prepared his testament.