Neuroscience For Kids
Did Frédéric Chopin Have Epilepsy?
February 2, 2011
Composer and pianist Frédéric Chopin (born, 1810; died 1849) has
written some of the most beautiful music ever created. New research
suggests that Chopin's musical genius may have been influenced by
epilepsy.
Chopin was born in Poland, but moved to Paris where he composed and taught piano. He is best known for his piano sonatas and waltzes. Chopin suffered from many different illnesses and may have also had temporal lobe epilepsy. Although he did not have any seizures that incapacitated him, Chopin did report visual hallucinations that may have been a symptom of epilepsy.
Drs. Manuel Vázquez Caruncho and Franciso Brañas Fernández
(Complexo Hospitalario Xeral-Calde, Lugo, Spain) examined letters
written by Chopin and by people who knew the composer. The letters
mentioned that Chopin had visual hallucinations that lasted several seconds to a few
minutes. Chopin's hallucinations were also more common in the evening and
when he had a fever. However, he did not appear to have
migraines and he never experienced any paralysis.
These symptoms suggest to Drs. Caruncho and Fernández that Chopin had
temporal lobe epilepsy. It is always difficult to look back in time to
diagnose a medical condition. Back in the 1800s, there was no electroencephalograph (EEG) to measure the electrical
activity of the brain or brain imaging devices to
look inside the living brain. Therefore, the diagnosis of
temporal lobe epilepsy for Chopin is still speculation.
References and more information:
- Caruncho, M.V. and Fernández, F.B., The hallucinations of Frédéric Chopin, Med Humanities, doi:10.1136/jmh.2010.005405.
- Epilepsy - from Neuroscience for Kids
Copyright © 1996-2011, Eric H. Chudler, University of Washington
