Eugene N. Myers, MD
Distinguished Professor, Emeritus of Otolaryngology and
Emeritus Chair, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh
President of Pittsburgh Festival Opera

Abstract: Following the untimely death of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at the age of 35, doctors have been obsessed with determining the cause. At last count there were 130 postmortem diagnoses in the medical literature. A week after he died, a Berlin newspaper falsely reported that he had been poisoned. The notion that the Court composer Antonio Salieri was jealous of Mozart’s superior musical output and poisoned him was further promoted by the movie Amadeus in 1984. Dr. Myers hopes to absolve Salieri of guilt. The talk will be illustrated with musical excerpts from pianist Michael Hammer.

CF Reynolds History of Medicine Lecture Series, co-sponsored by the Center for Bioethics & Health Law

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