Posted on 03/24/2023 10:23:13 AM PDT by yesthatjallen
SNIP
Ever since, a cottage industry has aimed to understand Beethoven’s illnesses and the cause of his death.
Now, an analysis of strands of his hair has upended long held beliefs about his health. The report provides an explanation for his debilitating ailments and even his death, while also raising new questions about his genealogical origins and hinting at a dark family secret.
The paper, by an international group of researchers, was published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology.
It offers additional surprises: A famous lock of hair — the subject of a book and a documentary — was not Beethoven’s. It was from an Ashkenazi Jewish woman.
The study also found that Beethoven did not have lead poisoning, as had been widely believed. Nor was he a Black man, as some had proposed.
And a Flemish family in Belgium — who share the last name van Beethoven and had proudly claimed to be related — had no genetic ties to him.
SNIP
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
LoL, that was such a great sketch....and so long ago.
What might be interesting is a scan of DNA libraries from all over Europe. If Ludwig had any romantic dalliances, it’s possible some of his direct descendants are unknowingly out there.
OTOH, if any of his descendants tended to marry Jews, Adolph’s boys might have wiped them out anyway...
You mean we wuzn’t Beethovenz?
Are we sure this wasn’t the powdered wig’s dna?
The powdered wig went out of style in the 1790s, when LvB was in his 20s. He did not wear it for the rest of his life.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.