The 6 December 1791 entry for Mozart's death in the St. Stephen's Cathedral records shows a third class funeral to St. Marx cemetery costing a total of 8 fl. and 56 kr with a further charge of 3fl. for a hearse. The cause of death is given as Severe miliary fever. Mozart died in the early hours of Monday 5 December 1791 from natural causes of which a selection of more than two dozen have been suggested. Kidney failure has been promulgated by a number of responsible commentators but it is also likely that promlems with the heart arising from the childhood bouts of rheumatic fever and blood-letting during his final illness induced a fatal stroke. There were 110 deaths in St. Stephen's parish from the beginning of November 1791 and the end of February 1792 almost half of which were young people under 21 years of age. There are some 40 different causes of death listed in the registers for that period ranging from "water in the stomach" to "rupture" and "abdominal dropsy" to "lingering fever". The murder theories, especially the cruel one implicating Antonio Salieri, are not worthy of serious discussion.
