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Hans von Bülow (1830-1894) was a conductor and pianist of worldwide reputation and founder of many stylistic interpretations of classic and romantic symphonies. The close friendship with Richard Wagner, but not the enthusiastic admiration of his dramatic musical opus, ended abruptly when Hans von Bülow became aware of the betrayal of his wife Cosima and Richard Wagner. Hans von Bülow reported symptoms and signs of neurological disease in many letters that were kept and edited by his second wife Marie. For decades he suffered from chronic neuralgiforme headaches, which were caused by a tumor of the cervical radicular nerves. At the age of 45 years, he suddenly developed a motorsensory deficit in the right arm and hand and a contralateral facial deficit, suggestive of brainstem infarction. He recovered and celebrated even greater successes as a musician, although phases of major depression also interfered with his professional life. In the last, phase of his life, he experienced the consequences of generalized atherosclerosis and cerebral microangiopathy. It was a second cerebrovascular accident of the brainstem that caused his death, only 10 months after his last concert performance. Although his death occurred in Egypt, an autopsy was performed by Professor Ludwig Edinger and the results will be presented.

Joseph Haydn (1732 to 1809) had hardly been troubled by any illness of note, apart from a chronic nasal polyp until 1799. During the composition of the oratoria "The Seasons" (1799 to 1801), the signs of cerebral arteriosclerosis with cardiac insufficiency made their appearance. Haydn's creative strength subsequently declined rapidly and he was virtually unable to compose any more after he had finished "The Seasons" until his death in 1809. The plan to compose a third oratoria "The Last Judgement" ended abortively. Haydn himself suffered acutely from the inactivity imposed on him by the illness, as documented by various sources. Hadyn remained fully conscious right up to the time of his death, which presumably resulted from cardiac failure. Haydn's grave was ransacked only a few days after the funeral and his skull was snatched. It has been finally restored to his resting place in Eisenstadt only as recently as 1954 after a protracted and devious journey.