Lead Poisoning Probable Cause Of Beethoven
Illnesses - Chemical Study of Hair Leads to Long-Sought Answers
Source: www.sjsu.edu/depts/beethoven/hair/hairtestpr.html
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Naperville, Ill.- Oct. 17, 2000. A four-year project to solve the mystery of what
caused years of chronic illness of composer Ludwig van Beethoven has ended with an answer:
lead poisoning. This toxin also may have contributed to his ultimate death.
A team of researchers expert in chemical analysis found unusually high levels of lead
concentration in eight strands of Beethoven's hair, according to project director, William
Walsh, Ph.D., who is also chief scientist of Health Research Institute, Naperville, Ill.
Walsh, a nationally known expert in hair and chemical analysis, was recruited for the
project by American Beethoven enthusiasts Ira Brilliant and Che Guevara, who with fellow
American Beethoven Society members Tom Wendel and Caroline Crummey purchased the Beethoven
hair in 1994 through Sotheby's in London. Brilliant and Guevara selected Walsh to
determine if there were any scientific lessons to be learned from the hair. Walsh held a
press conference today to announce the Beethoven findings.
"Beethoven saw physician after physician in search of a cure for his physical
ailments," said Walsh. "He suffered from bad digestion, chronic abdominal pain,
irritability and depression. It was such a concern to him that years before his death he
wrote a letter to his brothers that said, "As soon as I am dead, if Dr. Schmidt is
still alive, ask him in my name to discover my disease, and attach this written document
to his account of my illness so at least as much as possible the world may be reconciled
to me after my death."
Since he died in 1827 at age 57, there has been much speculation but no proof of the
cause of his illnesses and death.
"Independent analyses of Beethoven's hair show that he had plumbism-or lead
poisoning-which could explain his life-long illnesses. It would also have had an impact on
his personality and could have contributed to his death," said Walsh. Walsh doubts
that lead poisoning caused his deafness, but research continues in that area and it is
hoped that there will be results to report within the year.
That Beethoven's hair survived into the 21st century is, in itself, a fascinating story
that began with a young musician, Ferdinand Hiller, clipping it from his head the day
after he died. It was then passed from generation to generation of Hillers, and wound up
in the hands of a Danish physician, Kay Fremming was given the hair in gratitude for his
work on behalf of the Jews. After Fremming's death, his daughter consigned it for sale
with Sotheby's and it was purchased by the four Americans. Brilliant and Guevara then
launched the research project. The journey of the hair is the subject of a book, Beethoven's
Hair, published by Broadway Books and written by Russell Martin.
"Everything about this project has been fascinating," said Walsh, who worked
with McCrone Research Institute, Chicago, and the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne
National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill., in the analysis. "You can learn a great deal
about a person from hair analysis and the labs at McCrone and Argonne used the most
sophisticated technology available in the world today for this project."
In the course of the project, Walsh looked for distinctive trace-metal patterns
associated with genius, irritability, glucose disorders and malabsorption and found they
were not present in the Beethoven samples. He also looked for the presence of mercury,
which would have suggested that Beethoven received medical treatment for syphilis, which
was usually treated in that period with mercury compounds, and which some Beethoven
scholars suspected he had contracted. No mercury was found.
A DNA analysis also was performed and has defined a significant portion of Beethoven's
genetic make-up. This information will be used in future research studying musical genius.
Another analysis indicated that Beethoven avoided opiate painkillers during his long and
painful death, keeping his mind clear for his music, which he continued working on until
the day he died.
Health Research Institute is a public charity based in Naperville, Ill., and operates
the not-for-profit Pfeiffer Treatment Center. The Center is a collaboration between
medical doctors and scientists who specialize in body chemistry. The Center treats
children and adults with behavior disorders and mental illness.
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