One stormy Monday in March, 1827, the German composer Ludwig von Beethoven passed away after a protracted illness.
passed away after a protracted illness. Bedridden since the previous Christmas, he was attacked by jaundice, his limbs and abdomen swollen, each breath a struggle.
The composer would outlive his doctor by nearly two decades, yet close to two centuries after Beethoven's death a team of researchers set out to fulfil his testament in ways he would never have dreamed possible, by genetically analyzing the DNA in authenticated samples of his hair. For a musician, nothing could be more ironic. In a letter addressed to his brothers, Beethoven admitted he was"hopelessly afflicted", to the point of contemplating suicide.
Given the culture of drinking from lead vessels and medical treatments of the time that involved the use of lead, it's hardly a surprising conclusion. In some ways, we're left with more questions on the life and death of the famous classical composer. Where did he contract hepatitis? How did a lock of woman's hair pass as Beethoven's own for centuries? And just what was behind his gut pains and hearing loss?
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