Franz Schubert Typhoid Fever

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Franz Schubert is a 31-year old Austrian composer who has been recently diagnosed with typhoid fever and a stage of syphilis. Schubert first began the battle with his illness when he started to suffer from headaches and skin rashes. A while later, he began losing his hair in small patches. These symptoms are very similar to symptoms for mercury poisoning, which is a common treatment for syphilis. It is possible that while Schubert was being treated for syphilis, he acquired mercury poisoning. Schubert was ordered to exercise, therefore he decided to take a short trip to clear his mind. Although he felt better after the trip, Schubert began having additional symptoms such as weariness, giddiness, vomiting, and a rush of blood to his head. He also has a loss of appetite, saying that his food tastes like poison. These symptoms describe a serious case of typhoid fever, and it is possible that the illness is too severe to be cured and he does not have much time left. …show more content…

He has constant mood swings fluctuating between depression and hypomania. A reason why Schubert is constantly unhappy might be because he is an introvert and considered not very attractive. He is a short, chubby, round-faced, and button-nosed man who is very short-sighted. He also is not very good with romance, which caused him to turn to prostitutes. It cannot be known for sure if Schubert had contracted the syphilis disease from a prostitute, but it is a definite