Posted on 12/07/2005 3:22:00 PM PST by blam
Beethoven died from lead poisoning
Agençe France-Presse
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
Lead poisoning may even have caused Ludwig van Beethoven's deafness (portrait in oil by JK Stieler) (Image: US DOE)
Tests on the hair and skull fragments of Ludwig van Beethoven show the legendary 19th century German composer died from lead poisoning, scientists say.
Bone fragments from Beethoven's skull had high concentrations of lead, matching an earlier finding of lead in his hair, say researchers at the US Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.
"The finding of elevated lead in Beethoven's skull, along with DNA results indicating authenticity of the bone-hair relics, provides solid evidence that Beethoven suffered from a toxic overload of lead," says Dr Bill Walsh, director of the Beethoven Research Project.
"There is no doubt in my mind ... he was a victim of lead poisoning," he says.
Beethoven, whose piano, chamber and symphonic works count as some of the greatest of Western classical music, died at 56 in 1827 after years of struggling with unknown ailments, including progressive deafness in his later years.
He had begun suffering from abdominal pains at 20 that worsened throughout his life, and the composer saw a large number of physicians in search of a cure.
The description of his symptoms and the results of an autopsy shortly after his death are also consistent with lead poisoning, Walsh says.
"Beethoven suffered from bad digestion, chronic abdominal pain, irritability and depression," says Walsh, a medical toxicologist at the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Warrenville, Illinois.
Walsh also says that lead poisoning may have caused Beethoven's deafness.
Beethoven's hair also contains high levels of lead (Image: DOE)
Powerful x-rays
The tests on the composer's bone fragments were made at the laboratory's Advanced Photon Source, an 800 metre particle accelerator that can fire intense x-rays 100 times brighter than the surface of the Sun.
By directing the x-rays through the bone fragments, the scientists could measure the presence of key elements, without destroying the bones.
The results showed no detectable levels of either cadmium or mercury, the scientists say, which were previously thought to be possible causes of Beethoven's illnesses.
But lead levels were pronounced, and half-life measurements of the lead suggest it was present in Beethoven's body for many years, according to the scientists.
The source of the lead is unknown, but they say some people speculate that Beethoven drank a respectable amount of wine, and the lead may have come from a wine goblet made with the metal.
Alternatively, some medical treatments in the 18th and 19th centuries made use of heavy metals like lead and mercury.
When the scientists opened up Beethoven's tomb he was sitting there with a pencil in his hand erasing the notes from some sheet music. "What are you doing?!", the scientists asked Beethoven. "Why, I'm decomposing, of course", he replied.
That Beethoven died. Fox is notorius for their breaking news stories that aren't "breaking".
ZZZZZinnnnnggg!
Lots of lead pots and pans used for preparing food and storing drinking water.
Excellent point. That's it.
that's okay... the sun will rise tomorrow. I thought you may have been talking about this place, and blam posted it breaking news. in any event, i concern myself with what interests me... sorry.
A humbling notion to say the least. He started this at 23....
The canning process for food preservation was developed in the late 18th and early 19th century and metallic cans caught on rapidly as a means of food preservation (many of the soldiers at the Battle of Waterloo took rations from metal cans.) At that time, the solder used to seal the cans had a very high lead content which was prone to leach into the foodstuffs.
Beethoven died?
This lead thing also was responsible for the Mad Hatter in the book Alice in Wonderland. Lead Poisening was a real danger for old time hat makers.
This lead thing also was responsible for the Mad Hatter in the book Alice in Wonderland. Lead Poisening was a real danger for old time hat makers.
Did anyone blame Bush for Beethoven's death yet?
Mercury poisoning. Mercury was used in making the hats.
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