A New Study Confirmed That Beethoven Did Have Lead Poisoning, But That Wasn’t The Cause Of His Death
One topic that has long been surrounded by mystery and speculation is the untimely death of Ludwig van Beethoven.
The renowned German composer died in 1827 at the age of 56. In the years before his passing, his health had been declining severely.
He suffered from various ailments, including liver and kidney disease. However, no one knows for certain what the exact cause behind those health issues was.
There are several theories regarding his death, and one of them proposes that he died from lead poisoning.
But, a new study has confirmed that although Beethoven did have lead poisoning, he did not succumb to it since the levels of lead he was exposed to were not high enough to kill him.
Some of Beethoven’s other health problems were hearing loss, gastrointestinal issues, a bad temper, poor memory, and chronic clumsiness, which were all symptoms consistent with lead poisoning.
In 2000, scientists analyzed a lock of Beethoven’s hair and found that it contained high levels of lead. But the hair turned out to belong to a woman, not the composer.
In the latest study, researchers from Harvard Medical School examined other locks of hair from Beethoven.
The team was led by Nader Rifai, a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School. They confirmed the hair belonged to him by testing the DNA.
Yuliia – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Then, they conducted a toxin analysis on two locks using a technique called mass spectrometry. This technique measures the mass-to-charge ratio of molecules that are present in a sample.
The results revealed that one of the locks of hair had a lead concentration 64 times greater than the normal amount, while the other was 95 times greater.
The researchers estimated that Beethoven’s blood lead concentration would have been 69 to 71 micrograms per deciliter.
The value is much higher than normal for adults, but it still wasn’t high enough to be considered the cause of his death.
“While the concentrations determined are not supportive of the notion that lead exposure caused Beethoven’s death, it may have contributed to the documented ailments that plagued him most of his life,” Rifai said.
“We believe this is an important piece of a complex puzzle and will enable historians, physicians, and scientists to better understand the medical history of the great composer.”
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings