Fourteen Physicians of Frederic Chopin: Fourteen Ways to Tell a Patient About His Disease

Abstract

The narratives based on history of the disease of famous people are an effective pedagogical tool for future physicians’ preparation in medical ethics and psychology. The objective of this study was to analyze the methods that doctors used to inform Frederic Chopin about his disease. Frederic Chopin's and Georges Sand's letters, the works of the composer's biographers as well as scientific publications devoted to Chopin's illness were analysed. The analysis showed that most of Frederic Chopin's physicians hid from him an incurable and fatal diagnosis for ethical reasons. This tactic proved to be effective: Chopin lived for more than 10 years with severe symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis.