Anton Chekhov’s Real Cause of Death Uncovered

Unlike the general assumption that Chekhov died of tuberculosis, British scientists recently discovered that a hemorrhage in the brain was the real cause of his death.

A recent study by scientists from Quadram Institute of bioscience in the English town of Norwich has shed light on the death of Russian writer and playwright Anton Chekhov (1860-1904).

On the night of his death, July 15, 1904, Chekhov coughed up blood. The stain left on his shirt in the last hours of his life was studied by the scientists. They came to an unexpected conclusion, Russian Reality (Rusreality.com) reported.

Quadram scientists were able to extract traces of proteins from Chekhov’s shirt that not only confirmed his disease but suggested that he died of a sudden loss of blood to the brain. They also studied the chemical composition of the samples taken from the writer’s signed cards and manuscripts.

It is known that in childhood Chekhov had problems with his lungs, and in his student years the disease became apparent. According to the study, together with proteins that indicate the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the samples was detected proteins contributing to thrombosis or formation of blood clot inside blood vessel, which led to the blockage of blood and subsequent bleeding in the brain.

Thus, the British researchers came to the conclusion that tuberculosis seriously affected the health of the writer, but still could not be the direct cause of his sudden death.

Chekhov was born on January 29, 1860, in Taganrog, Russia. Through stories such as ‘The Steppe’ and ‘The Lady with the Dog’ and plays such as ‘The Seagull and Uncle Vanya,’ the prolific writer emphasized the depths of human nature, the hidden significance of everyday events and the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Chekhov died at a health resort in Badenweiler, Germany.