Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died at the end of the 18th century at the ripe age of 35. Many possible causes of his death have been suggested throughout the centuries including murder by poisoning, accidental mercury poisoning or even the ingestion of a parasite from poorly prepared meat. A recent report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, however, suggests that Mozart may have died as a result of a more common illness: a streptococcal infection. The environment where he lived and died helps support the report's theory.\nMozart lived in Vienna, where a significant number of men were dying of symptoms that he would soon develop and that are linked to streptococcal disease. The little information about his death is vague and it was not understood at the time what exactly had happened to this artistic genius. The official record labeled his death as the result of an acute illness involving "fever and rash," and his family noted that he suffered from intense swelling, back pain and general discomfort. These symptoms are linked with kidney disease, which quite plausibly may have been induced by a streptococcal infection, the report states.\nPenicillin was not discovered until 1928, so something that today is considered a minor curable illness, like a sinus infection, was known to take lives within a week. Today, scientifically sound treatments are in abundance. For instance, a University student can walk to Student Health to get a 10-day supply of antibiotics and be up and about in no time. But in Mozart's time, it could have meant near death to wake up with a sore throat and a fever. Looking at all the resources, preventative measures and cures available today underscore just how far the field of modern medicine has come since Mozart's time. After all, who knows what dulcet contributions Mozart could have written with just 10 extra years tacked onto his life thanks to a $10 bottle of penicillin?\n-compiled by Kate Singleton
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