[Medical treatment abroad. Why Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson died in Paris 1910]

The Norwegian poet and playwright Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832-1910), Nobel prize laureate in literature 1903, died in Paris. He had suffered from angina pectoris for a few years and had difficulties in walking because of thrombophlebitis in his right leg. In 1909, he had received electrotherapy from a French physiologist, Dr. d'Arsonval, in Paris and felt rejuvenated after the treatment. In May 1909, while undergoing spa treatment in Larvik, he had an apoplexy which left him with a left hemiparesis, presumably due to a thrombosis of the right internal carotid artery. He became bedridden, developed focal epilepsy and was unable to participate in the national cultural activities that used to be part of his life. He then decided to return to Paris for another series of electrotherapy. He was brought to Paris in the Royal Danish railway carriage, and was received at the border as an official guest of the French republic. The electrotherapy machine was installed in his room at Hotel Wagram, where he stayed for several months while receiving treatment. However, his health deteriorated during the treatment and he died in Paris in April 1910.