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

In February 1837, Chopin caught an “acute grippe” with high fever and hemoptysis. At the same time he also experienced hallucinations, hearing “knocking on his door and seeing death standing there” 37 37 Szulc, T. (1999), “ Chopin In Paris: The Life And Times Of The Romantic Composer ”. Da Capo Press, as cited in Caruncho, V. M. & Fernandez, B. F. (2011), “ The hallucinations of Frederic Chopin ”, Medical Humanities 37 (1), 5—8. . Around that time Chopin met Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin (better known under her artistic name George Sand), a famous French novelist. This acquaintance has evolved into an intimate relationship.

The November 1838 trip to Mallorca together with George Sand and her children became a disaster. This journey was described by Sand in a book “Un hiver à Majorque” (A Winter in Mallorca). According to her, Chopin had all signs of pneumonia and the island inhabitants grew suspicious and distant to the couple, as they believed that Chopin has had a contagious disease. The fact that Sand and Chopin were not married did not help their popularity among Mallorcans either. That is why it was all but impossible to obtain a better dwelling than the one where Chopin and Sand have stayed. Both two-story chambers they occupied at the monastery Sa Cartoixa de Jesús Natzarè in Valldemossa were barely heated and damp. Sand wrote that Chopin coughed up sputum “by the bowlful”. That winter Chopin was seen by at least three Mallorcan doctors. As George Sand recollected, the recommended treatment included application of plasters at various intervals during the day and consumption of milk. However, no milk was available there 38 38 O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9. – likely due to the resentment of local inhabitants who did not want to have a potentially contagious patient to be around. In addition of all those hardships and his health continuing to deteriorate, Chopin’s piano has got stuck with the Spanish customs, so he did not compose much till the end of December 1838: “Meanwhile my manuscripts are sleeping whereas I cannot sleep” 39 39 Letter to Fontana on December, 14, 1838 in Niecks, Vol. II, p. 27.

But already by mid-January 1839, Chopin sends the Preludes op. 28 to Fontana with an instruction to pass them to Mr. Pleyel, a music publisher 40 40 Letter to Fontana on January, 12, 1839 in Niecks, Vol. II, pp. 30—31. . A very productive phase followed and Chopin wrote, corrected or finalized during his stay on Mallorca following works, to name a few: Polonaise in C-minor, op. 40, Mazurka in E-minor, op. 41 no. 2, Scherzo in C-sharp minor, op. 39 (drafts), Nocturne in G-minor, op. 37, no., Tarantella op. 43 (draft), and Sonata in B flat minor, op. 35 41 41 Adamczyk-Schmid, B. (1986—1990), “ Les variantes du texte de Frédéric Chopin dans les manuscrits musicaux de la collection d’Anne-Marie Boutroux de Ferrà’s Collection in Valldemossa” in: “Chopin Studies” 3 , The International Musicological Symposium “Chopin and Romanticism” Warsaw, 17—23 October 1986, Warsaw 1990, {Adamczyk-Schmid 1990}, cited by Institute Chopin (PL), retrieved on August 18, 2014 from http://www.chopin.pl/majorca.en.html#8. . Most of those pieces were done by Chopin which has not yet fully recovered from the disease on “a poor Mallorcan piano…” 42 42 Sand, G., Letter to Mme Marliani, January 15, 1839 in Niecks, Vol. II , pp.31—32.

Later in 1838 he experienced pulmonary problems again 43 43 Sand, G. “ Winter in Majorca ”. Graves, R., transl. 1956:135—45, as cited in Kuzemko, J. (1994), “ Chopin’s illnesses ”. J Roy Soc Med 87 , 769—772. . After three months on the island, Chopin and Sand with her children left Mallorca on the 13 thof February 1839. On their way back to Paris, in Marcel, Chopin recovered, at least for a while. His strength was back, there were no more hemoptysis and he started to gain weight again 44 44 O’Shea, J. (1987), “ Was Frédéric Chopin’s illness actually cystic fibrosis?”. Med J Aust. Dec 7—21; 147 (11—12 ), 586—9. . Nevertheless the very same author, referring to G. Sand, says that for the next few years, Chopin continued to have cough bouts with dyspnea and intermittent fevers. Sand’s recollections show that he was then never absolutely well and experienced a slow progressive decline in his health.

Chopin was successfully treated with ‘oats and honey’ and often “courses of belladonna. which he continued to take through most of his life” 45 45 Kuzemko, J. (1994), “ Chopin’s illnesses ”. J Roy Soc Med 87 , 769—772. . Belladonna has centuries-long history of use as a medicine 46 46 Ebadi, M. (2007). “[битая ссылка] Pharmacodynamic Basis of Herbal Medicine”. CRC Press. p. 203. [битая ссылка] ISBN [битая ссылка] 9780849370502. , however it is not clear who, when, and for what purpose exactly prescribed or recommended it to the pianist. Kuzemko (1994) argues that a diet may have had a positive influence on the course of Chopin’s disease, citing the composer’s letter to his parents from Berlin, written on September, 27, 1828 47 47 Kuzemko, J. (1994), “ Chopin’s illnesses ”. J Roy Soc Med 87 , 769—772. : “I am quite well… as long as I avoid meats, sauces, soups” 48 48 Kuzemko, J. (1994), the same as above. . However, this very same letter is quoted differently by another source (text in bald – VW):

“ I am quite well , and have seen all that [was] to be seen. I shall soon be with you again. In a week, from the day after tomorrow, we shall embrace […] I count among the great events of my visit here the second dinner with the scientists, which took place the day before the conclusion of the Congress, and was really very lively and entertaining. Several very fair convivial songs were sung, in which all the company joined more or less heartily. Zelter conducted, and a large golden cup, standing on a red pedestal, in front of him, as a sign of his exalted musical merits, appeared to give him much satisfaction. The dishes were better that day than usual, they say, “because the scientists have been principally occupied during their sittings with the improvement of meats, sauces, soups, etc… ” 49 49 Karasowski, M. (1906),“ Frederic Chopin: His Life and Letters ”.

It is beyond of scope of this study to assess the biographic precision of both sources and to define which translation conveys a better sense of Chopin’s letters (they were originally written in French). Both sources do not specify whether that “quite well” description referred to Chopin’s digestive or respiratory issues. However, according to the authors in favor of the cystic fibrosis version, those gastrointestinal symptoms were not new for Chopin. Yet during his early adolescence he developed intolerance to ‘fatty foods’ which resulted in recurrent prolonged episodes of diarrhea and weight loss 50 50 a) Marek G. (1978) “ Chopin ”. New York, 1978:15, cited in Kuzemko, J. (1994), “ Chopin’s illnesses ”. J Roy Soc Med 87 , 769—772. b). 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, .

The slow decline of Chopin’s health continued for the next four years until (in winter 1843/44) he become severely cachectic and so weak, that he could no longer go upstairs by himself and had to be carried up 51 51 Franken, F.H. (1959), “ Das Leben grosser Musiker im Spiegel der Medizin: Schubert, Chopin, Mendelssohn ”, Stuttgart , as cited in Böhme, G. (1981), “ Medizinische Portrats berühmter Komponisten: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber, Frederic Chopin, Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowski, Bela Bartok ”. (German Edition), G. Fischer. . 22 June 1849 Chopin had two episodes of hemoptysis in one night 52 52 According to Chopin’s letter to his friend Grzymala, as cited in Ganche, E. (1935), “ Souffrances de Frederic Chopin. Essai de médecine et de psychologie ”. Paris: Mercure de France, p.78. (according to Chopin’s letter to his friend Grzymala, as cited by Ganche, p.78). At that point he had less than four months to live.