Posted on 12/07/2005 4:05:48 PM PST by neverdem
Science Reporter
Sophisticated new tests confirm that Ludwig van Beethoven suffered severe lead poisoning, which could explain his cranky personality.
But lead poisoning probably is not the reason why the great composer lost his hearing, researchers announced Tuesday.
In 2000, tests of Beethoven's hair at southwest suburban Argonne National Laboratory showed he had lead concentrations roughly 100 times higher than levels found in healthy adults today.
But hair analysis is not scientifically conclusive. Moreover, skeptics said, hair samples used in the test could have been contaminated by, for example, hair powder, dirt or grease.
But a new test at Argonne, done on a skull fragment, confirms the presence of lead in Beethoven's body. The test was conducted by Bill Walsh of the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Warrenville and Argonne researchers.
Cause of condition unknown
For the first time, said William Meredith of the Beethoven Center at San Jose State University, "we have actual scientific evidence about something that either caused Beethoven's death or contributed to it."
But what caused the lead poisoning remains a mystery. Among the theories, all unproven: Beethoven drank wine or ate fish contaminated with lead. There was lead in his favorite pewter cup. He was poisoned by drinking and bathing in mineral water at a spa. Or perhaps Beethoven had a defect that made his body unable to remove lead.
Whatever the cause, lead poisoning likely was responsible for Beethoven's prickly personalty, Walsh said. Beethoven was famously irritable and suspicious, and had few friends.
"His music was revered, but he was not revered," Walsh said.
'He went to so many doctors'
Lead poisoning also could explain Beethoven's chronic abdominal pain and the severe kidney and liver damage that likely caused his death, Walsh said.
"He went to so many doctors and nobody helped him, so he finally gave up," Walsh said.
The tests were done on Argonne's $500 million Advanced Photon Source, which provides the most brilliant X-rays of any machine in the Western Hemisphere.
A fragment of Beethoven's skull was compared to a skull fragment from another person from the same time period. The Beethoven sample had much more lead.
The Beethoven bone fragment belongs to California businessman Paul Kaufman. Kaufman's great-great uncle was an Austrian doctor who kept fragments after Beethoven's body was exhumed. The bones were passed down through the generations to Kaufman.
A separate set of tests done at other centers indicate that DNA in the skull fragments matches DNA from a sample of Beethoven's hair taken a day after his death.
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN 1770-1827
Best known works: His Third, Fifth, Sixth and Ninth symphonies; an opera, "Fidelio," and a religious composition, Missa Solemnis.
Most famous notes: The ominous "bom bom bom bommmm" that begins his Fifth Symphony.
Other works: Besides the nine symphonies, they include five piano concertos, a violin concerto, several overtures, 16 string quartets, 10 violin sonatas and 35 piano sonatas.
Mystery lover: Beethoven never married. But after he died, friends found a love letter he wrote to a never-identified woman he called "immortal beloved."
His own man: Rather than work as a hired gun for the church or aristocracy, Beethoven supported himself with performances, sales of his works, etc.
Couldn't hear his own music: Beethoven began losing his hearing in his late 20s and was completely deaf during his final years, including when he wrote and conducted his great Ninth Symphony.
jritter@suntimes.com
RE: For all we know most of what we read about him today could have come from the Vienna National Enquirer of yesteryear.
LOL!!! Digression - the Vienna National Enquirer of yesteryear *would* be quite entertaining, no? ;)
Thank you for proving my point. The reason I repeated those offensive and derogatory statements was in hopes a female would recognize them as such. You have no qualms about joking about using a pipe on your hubby, why can't I joke about smacking my wife? You have just proven that double standards exist between the genders and you yourself are a hypocrite.
When did I tell you that you could not joke about anything? Your argument is faulty on its foundation.
You have not, and I was not trying to be offensive. I'm just trying to make a point that a man could be offended by your comment like my comments were offensive to women. I have spent years working with abuse victims of both genders in divorce recovery groups. If you, your mother, or your daughter had a husband smack them with a pipe, you may not joke about it so easily. For the record, I did not find your joke offensive and my comments were much worse. I just went overboard to prove my point. I apologize to any ladies I have offended here on FR. Peace.
You said you used a lead pipe to "correct" your husband, and it made him grumpy. I get the joke. It implies you use it as a form of corporal punishment. The wrong I am trying to correct here is your passive arrogance. I admitted my "jokes" were offensive. You see nothing wrong with your "joke" and refuse to be held accountable for it. I would never make a "joke" like yours and expect a domestic abuse victim not to be offended by it. Since I have never hit a spouse myself (like you) is it still OK for me to joke about it? I'm just looking for the same rules to apply to both of us. I do have an issue with women who live by different standards than they impose on men. Do you refuse to accept the fact that some poor guy out there who gets wailed on by his wife (it happens) would not like your "joke"? Real maturity is being responsible for your deeds and words, not rationalizing them away. I'm just tring to make you think about this issue a little closer, and sometimes you have to shock and offend folks to really open their minds.
He was likewise poisoned.
It has been recorded here that your standards allow you to make jokes about husbands receiving domestic violence, but my gender reversed jokes are "offensive". Now you are rationalizing your hypocracy with "free speech". The last time I checked, the Constitution was gender neutral, unlike you. You are very articulate and intelligent in how you deflect the main issues here by bringing up new ones. How dare you curtail a man's right to free speech by calling my horrible "jokes" offensive! See how transparent and tragic it sounds coming back at you? I hope you are enjoying this as much as I am. Keep typing and keep digging. Your comments keep making my points for me
"...and then there's the music."
Thank God. It is wonderful.
> One of the composers, Schumann I believe, had injections of mercury into his hands...
I don't know what the symptoms of mercury poisoning are, but Schumann was said to be manic depressive and he committed suicide by jumping into a river.
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