NYT: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Death Due to Strep Throat?

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Well according to a NYT article published on Aug 17, 2009, yes he potentially did. In the article titled "What Really Killed Mozart? Maybe Strep," the journalist reports on a paper published in the Aug. 18 issue of The Annals of Internal Medicine where the researchers have done an epidemiological analysis that suggested he was a victim of an epidemic streptococcal infection.

Read the NYT article here. Read the actual paper abstract here.

This story illustrates how far we have come in controlling what is now considered a benign infectious problem which can be easily treated with antibiotics or tonsillectomy.