Following her father's death in 1879, Salomé and her mother went to Zurich, so Salomé could acquire a university education as a "guest student". In her one year at the University of Zurich--one of the few schools that accepted female students--Salomé attended lectures in philosophy (logic, history of philosophy, ancient philosophy, and psychology) and theology (dogmatics). During this time, Salomé's physical health was failing due to a lung disease, causing her to cough up blood. Due to this, she was instructed to heal in warmer climates, so in February 1882, Salomé and her mother went to Rome.