Chopin may have been an epileptic
Source: Agencies |
January 26, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ARTISTIC genius may sometimes teeter on the brink of madness, but in the case of 19th-century romantic composer Frederic Chopin, some doctors have a more straightforward explanation: epilepsy.
During his lifetime, Chopin's tendency to drift off while at the piano was interpreted by his partner George Sand as "the manifestation of a genius full of sentiment and expression." But in a new analysis published this week, Spanish doctors say Chopin's hallucinations may have been due to a temporal lobe epilepsy rather than the result of any artistic tendencies.
Manuel Vazquez Caruncho and Francisco Branas Fernandez of the Complexo Hospitalario Xeral-Calde in Spain analyzed descriptions of Chopin's hallucinations from those close to him. They propose the French-Polish composer suffered from a type of epilepsy that produces conscious hallucinations that last from seconds to minutes. The research was published in the journal Medical Humanities, a specialist publication of the BMJ.
Caruncho and Fernandez cite an extract from Sand's memoir, where she recalls returning to the home she shared with Chopin after a long journey delayed by flooding. The composer had been playing one of his preludes and told Sand he was lulled to sleep while at the piano and saw himself drowned at the bottom of a lake.
Hallucinations are typically seen in patients with severe psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Other composers such as Robert Schumann, who was committed to an asylum, experienced auditory and visual hallucinations that some believed were the product of his musical genius.
While Chopin had tuberculosis, severe headaches and insomnia, there is no record he was diagnosed with any neurological problems.
During his lifetime, Chopin's tendency to drift off while at the piano was interpreted by his partner George Sand as "the manifestation of a genius full of sentiment and expression." But in a new analysis published this week, Spanish doctors say Chopin's hallucinations may have been due to a temporal lobe epilepsy rather than the result of any artistic tendencies.
Manuel Vazquez Caruncho and Francisco Branas Fernandez of the Complexo Hospitalario Xeral-Calde in Spain analyzed descriptions of Chopin's hallucinations from those close to him. They propose the French-Polish composer suffered from a type of epilepsy that produces conscious hallucinations that last from seconds to minutes. The research was published in the journal Medical Humanities, a specialist publication of the BMJ.
Caruncho and Fernandez cite an extract from Sand's memoir, where she recalls returning to the home she shared with Chopin after a long journey delayed by flooding. The composer had been playing one of his preludes and told Sand he was lulled to sleep while at the piano and saw himself drowned at the bottom of a lake.
Hallucinations are typically seen in patients with severe psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Other composers such as Robert Schumann, who was committed to an asylum, experienced auditory and visual hallucinations that some believed were the product of his musical genius.
While Chopin had tuberculosis, severe headaches and insomnia, there is no record he was diagnosed with any neurological problems.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
