Hatte Heinrich Heine die syphilis?

Abstract

Though Heinrich Heine died 150 years ago, the underlying illness responsible for his lengthy suffering has never been fully clarified. The diagnosis most frequently put forward is that of syphilis. However, when the available source material and its interpretation in the context of the contemporary nosology of syphilis is considered, this diagnosis is called into question. The fact that the German Jew Heinrich Heine was diagnosed with syphilis can at best be explained by the cliché of the "Jewish venereal disease." The ultimate cause of Heine's death, however, can be best explained by his longstanding and well-documented opium abuse. © 2006 Springer Medizin Verlag.