Aqua Tofana: The 17th Century Husband Killer

Summary

Sometime in the summer of 1791, or perhaps even earlier, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart fell ill. His biographer, Franz Niemetschek, described him as pale and melancholy. Despite his declining health, Mozart remained dedicated to his work, focusing on completing his Requiem. He even conducted the premiere of The Magic Flute on 30 September. However, by late November, his condition worsened dramatically. He became bedridden, suffering from swelling, pain, and persistent vomiting. Around two weeks later, on 5 December, he died at his home in Vienna. The cause of Mozart’s death has been the subject of much speculation and debate. With few eyewitness accounts and no thorough medical examination, researchers have proposed various possibilities, including streptococcal infection, rheumatic fever, kidney failure, and even poisoning. Mozart himself was deeply troubled by his deteriorating health and feared he was being poisoned. “I feel definitely,” he confided to his wife, Constanze, “that I will not last much longer; I am sure I have been poisoned. I cannot rid myself of this idea.” “Death Comes to the Banquet Table” by Giovanni Martinelli, circa 1635. Constanze later told the musician Vincent Novello and his wife, Mary, that Mozart believed the poison was Aqua Tofana, a colourless, tasteless, and odourless liquid that could be mixed with the victim's food without detection. When administered gradually, it mimicked symptoms of common illnesses such as cholera or influenza, slowly debilitating the victim until the final, fatal dose was given. This poison, whose principal active ingredient was arsenic, is believed to have been invented by an Italian woman named Thofania d'Adamo in the 17th century. According to contemporary accounts, Aqua Tofana was first formulated around 1630 and quickly gained notoriety in southern Italy, particularly among women seeking to rid themselves of their husbands and claim their inheritances. Thofania d'Adamo and her assistant, Francesca la Sarda, who...