Genetic sequencing of Beethoven’s hair shows that he didn’t have lead poisoning after all, but it doesn’t shed light on why he lost his hearing
By Jason Arunn Murugesu
22 March 2023
A portrait of Ludwig van Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler from 1820
Beethoven Haus Bonn, [email protected]
Genetic analysis of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair has revealed that the composer had a high genetic risk for liver disease, which could have contributed to his death. It has also overturned a previous idea about him having had lead poisoning, but uncovered no explanation for why he lost his hearing.
Tristan Begg at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues have analysed the DNA of eight locks of hair purported to come from Beethoven’s head to see if it could explain the composer’s health issues.
Beethoven, born in 1770, started losing his hearing in his mid-20s, as he started to grow in fame. He was almost completely deaf by his mid-40s and experienced severe gastrointestinal issues during his life. He died in 1827, aged 56. A post-mortem examination at the time revealed that he had severe liver damage.
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The researchers’ first task was making sure the hair actually came from Beethoven. Locks of hair were a typical memento in the Victorian era, says Begg, and there are dozens of locks purported to be Beethoven’s around the world.
They therefore examined the paperwork for each lock and used DNA analysis to determine the age of the samples. “For DNA samples from the last few centuries, you’ll tend to see the accumulation of damage patterns,” says Begg. “You want to see these patterns consistent with the documented age of the samples.”