Scientists: Lead killed Beethoven
BY focusing the most powerful X-ray beam in the Western Hemisphere on six of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hairs and a few pieces of his skull, scientists have gathered what they say is conclusive evidence that the famous composer died of lead poisoning.
The work, done at the Energy Department’s Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago, confirms earlier hints that lead may have caused Beethoven’s decades of poor health, which culminated in a long and painful death in 1827 at age 56.
“There’s no doubt in my mind ... he was a victim of lead poisoning,” said Bill Walsh, an expert in forensic analysis and chief scientist at Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Warrenville, Ill., who led the study with energy department researcher Ken Kemner.
Still a mystery, however, is the source of Beethoven’s lead exposure, which evidence now suggests occurred over many years. Among the possibilities are his liberal indulgence in wine consumed from lead cups or perhaps a lifetime of medical treatments, which in the 19th century were often laced with heavy metals.
One metal that was clearly absent was mercury, Walsh said -- a detail that weakens the hypothesis floated by some that Beethoven had syphilis, which in those days was commonly treated with mercury.
“We found zero evidence of that,” Walsh said this week, “so it was nice to exonerate him of that scurrilous possibility.”
The work was done at Argonne’s Advanced Photon Source, a high-tech facility that sends subatomic particles sailing around a circular half-mile-long track at velocities up to 99.999% of the speed of light.
Beethoven in his early 20s developed serious health problems, which grew worse over time and reflected many of the symptoms of lead poisoning, including severe stomach problems.
The composer was deaf by his late 20s, a problem of questionable relevance because deafness has only rarely been associated with lead poisoning.
But with his many health problems, it is not hard to imagine that medicine itself may have done him in, said William Meredith, director of the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University.
