Decoding the cause of Beethoven's death

Research results by a group of experts at Harvard Medical School revealed that lead poisoning was not the leading cause of composer Beethoven's life.

Until now, no one knows for sure what caused the liver and kidney diseases that led to the death of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) . However, new research published in the journal Clinical Chemistry rules out a popular hypothesis, indicating that the composer was exposed to high concentrations of lead, but not high enough to kill him , Phys.org reported on May 7. .

Beethoven had many health problems throughout his life. (Photo: Internet).

Throughout his life, Beethoven suffered from a series of health problems, including multiple gastrointestinal problems and hearing loss, along with liver disease and kidney disease. High lead levels are often linked to all of these and other Beethoven characteristics such as mood swings, absent-mindedness and clumsiness.

So when researchers analyzed a lock of hair believed to have belonged to Beethoven in 2000, they found it contained extremely high levels of lead, leading to the conclusion that lead poisoning caused health problems and death. composer. However, further research discovered that the lock of hair belonged to a woman, not Beethoven.

In 2023, several curls of Beethoven's hair were determined to be real in the composer's genome sequencing study. A group of medical experts led by Nader Rifai, a PhD at Harvard Medical School, conducted toxicological analysis on two locks of hair called Bermann and Halm-Tuyer . Rifai's team analyzed traces of lead using two different versions of a highly accurate testing technique called mass spectrometry.

They found that Bermann and Halm-Tuyer curls had lead concentrations 64 times and 95 times higher than normal levels, respectively. From this result, the research team estimated Beethoven's blood lead concentration to be between 69 - 71 µg/dL. This is several times higher than normal blood lead levels in adults, but not high enough to be the sole cause of his death.

" Although the study results do not prove the hypothesis that lead poisoning caused Beethoven's death, it may have contributed to the medical condition he suffered for most of his life , " Rifai concluded. "We think this is an important link, allowing historians, doctors and scientists to better understand the great composer's medical history."