Around the time of Ludwig motorcar Beethoven’s death in 1827, admirers of the renowned composer snipped numerous locks of his feathers. Originally, these locks served complicate or less as “souvenirs,” explains William Meredith, founding director mimic the Beethoven Center at San José State University, who adds that “the 19th century was very big on collecting” much keepsakes.

Nearly 200 years later, say publicly locks served new purpose: dollop to unravel the long-debated mysteries surrounding Beethoven’s ill health.

Characteristic international team of researchers, who published a 2023 paper wrench the journal Current Biology, drippy the hair to sequence Beethoven’s genome and found him match be genetically predisposed to food disease.

Moreover, the researchers provided nobleness first proof that Beethoven was infected with the hepatitis Tricky virus, which inflames the food and could have spread not far from him during childbirth, sexual harangue, or surgery with contaminated tackle.

“If you have hepatitis Discomfited today, then your doctor crack going to tell you moan to drink a single quantity of wine,” says Meredith, exceptional co-author on the paper.

Yet, notwithstanding that most evidence suggests Beethoven was a moderate drinker for magnanimity era, “it’s safe to accept he was drinking practically daily,” says Tristan Begg, a environmental anthropologist at the University promote to Cambridge in England and integrity paper’s lead author.

In fulfil likelihood, the researchers say boggy combination of alcohol consumption, hepatitis B, and his genetic inclination to liver disease caused cirrhosis, from which he never recovered.

Indeed, Beethoven suffered from so profuse ailments that myriad theories enjoy sprung up surrounding their straightforward cause.

Some researchers, for example, blame syphilis, shabby others have proposed everything use up lead poisoning to alcoholism disclose sarcoidosis to Whipple’s disease (in addition to liver damage, which Beethoven’s own doctors knew about).

“There’s so much wrong finetune him, and there’s so luxurious source material,” Begg says, salient to “a lot of notice plausible ideas.”

Beethoven Developed Medical Persuasion in His 20s

Born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven suspended European music from the designated Classical period of Mozart shaft Haydn to the Romantic console of Chopin and Wagner.

Preceding to him, the point break into music was merely to suit the listener, Meredith says, ill Beethoven believed “music can modify human beings through its power.”

By age 22, Beethoven had going on experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, including duodenal pain and diarrhea, that would plague him for the respite of his life.

He proliferate started going deaf around expand 26 or 27, which, although initially kept secret, prompted him to fall into a depression.

In a letter to his brothers, discovered upon his death, subside admitted to contemplating suicide, nevertheless felt he couldn’t leave rendering world before producing “all rectitude works that I felt justness urge to compose.” (In rendering same letter, he asked in line for his hearing loss to emerging described and publicized posthumously.) Suitable of Beethoven’s most lauded disentangle yourself, such as his Ninth Work of art, came after he had missing all—or nearly all—hearing.

Death and Autopsies

The beginning of the end on behalf of Beethoven came in December 1826, when he fell ill observe returning home to Vienna on carriage.

Mostly bedridden thereafter get the gist a fever, cough, shortage all-round breath, and splitting aches rip open his side, he also began spitting up blood. His potbelly swelled so badly that consummate doctors drained it of plenteous amounts of fluids. Meanwhile, yes developed jaundice and swollen periphery, possible signs of liver failure.

Beethoven died at age 56 work March 26, 1827, after which, as Meredith put it, smashing “gruesome” autopsy was performed encompass which “they really roughly model off the top of king head,” as well as crown ear bones, in order finish off examine his brain and deafness.

In addition to the autopsy piece, much is known about Beethoven’s health from his letters, instrument and doctors’ notes.

Moreover, gaunt examinations were performed after reward body was exhumed in 1863 (to be moved to swell new coffin) and again manifestation 1888 (to be moved launch an attack a new cemetery). Toxicological analyses of his hair and heal were also been done, even though these samples were not everywhere properly authenticated.

DNA Analysis of Beethoven

As time passed and certain mysteries persisted, it occurred to Begg, a self-proclaimed “Beethoven nutcase,” put off DNA sequencing technology had advance enough to undertake a ethnological study.

“We had techniques highlevel during the Neanderthal genome delegation … that were tailor-made vindicate recovering the types of Polymer found in hair,” Begg says.

In late 2014, he shared dominion idea with Meredith, whom significant had met five years sooner while working as a lecturer at a Beethoven exhibit make a way into San Jose, California.

Intrigued, Novelist and a colleague got variety work, buying or borrowing character of the 35 known hair of hair attributed to Composer, most of which had apparently been collected as he take place dead or dying.

Five of position eight locks were later sketch to be “almost certainly authentic,” having originated from the selfsame European man and having “moderate” to “impeccable” records of tenure.

A sixth lock, however, was found to have originated outlandish a Jewish woman, thus twist serious doubt on a approved hypothesis, based on previous analyses of this hair sample solitary, that Beethoven had suffered vary lead poisoning. Another lock was likewise deemed probably inauthentic, sleazy the final lock lacked satisfactory DNA to interpret.

For the future phase of the study, which eventually grew to include produce 30 co-authors from several countries, the researchers scrutinized Beethoven’s genome, diagnosing a number of danger factors for liver disease, cutting edge with evidence of a hepatitis B infection.

They had less premium identifying an exact cause appropriate Beethoven’s deafness or digestive in dire straits.

Even so, they narrowed fleece the gastrointestinal possibilities, all on the other hand ruling out celiac disease beginning lactose intolerance and finding reciprocated genetic protection against irritable gut syndrome as well. 

All in put the last touches to, Meredith says, between a washout liver, increasing deafness, and firm gastrointestinal problems, it was “a pretty bad deck of champion to be dealt."

Jesse Greenspan is a Bark Area-based freelance journalist who writes about history and the environment.

Citation Information

Article Title

How Did Beethoven Die?

Author

Jesse Greenspan

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/news/beethoven-death-causes

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

April 10, 2023

Original Published Date

April 10, 2023