Poland Rejects Testing Chopin's Heart

Scientists want to see if composer Frederic Chopin -- whose heart rests in a Warsaw church, preserved in alcohol since his 1849 death -- died of cystic fibrosis instead of tuberculosis, as was thought at the time. But Poland thinks this is no excuse to disturb one of its key relics.

"The heart lies in a jar sealed inside a pillar at Warsaw's Holy Cross Church _ and the only time it has been removed was for safekeeping during World War II.

Before it was returned in 1951, a doctor examined the heart and found it perfectly preserved in an alcohol that many think is cognac. Chopin died in France, where his body is buried, but he asked that his heart be sent to his homeland.

Cystic fibrosis, an incurable genetic disease, was not discovered until many decades after Chopin's death, and the scientists who want to examine the heart say many of his symptoms match that illness, including respiratory infections, recurrent fevers, delayed puberty and infertility.

A spokeswoman for the Culture Ministry, Iwona Radziszewska, told The Associated Press on Thursday that ministry officials consulted experts and decided that 'this was neither the time to give approval, nor was it justified by the potential knowledge to be gained.'

One of the experts consulted, the head of the National Frederic Chopin Institute in Warsaw, Grzegorz Michalski, argued the scientists failed to demonstrate that they had sufficient expertise carrying out such DNA tests or that the chances of success were high."

It seems that those launching the study are driven more by curiosity than anything, rather than expecting a tangible gain to come from such tests. But geneticist Michal Witt, one of those who sought the heart testing, said, "It matters for those who are affected with cystic fibrosis, and with any other debiliating chronic disorder. Can you believe what message you send saying that you might become a genius even if you have a disorder like that? And it is a question worth answering if possible."