Beethoven Suffered From Lead Poisoning but It Wasn’t the Cause of His Death [Study]

Ludwig van Beethoven indeed suffered from lead poisoning, which probably contributed to his health problems. However, it was not the cause of his death, according to researchers.

Ludwig van Beethoven Suffered From Lead Poisoning, Confirmed

In a new study, researchers used two locks of hair previously authenticated as belonging to the legendary composer. The researchers confirmed that he was indeed plagued with lead poisoning, but the exposure wasn't enough to cause his death.

Nader Rifai, a pathologist at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues examined the two hair bundles identified in the 2023 genetic study as the Halm-Thayer and Bermann locks.

For those with doubts, there is additional assurance that Beethoven personally sourced only two locks, the other being the Halm-Thayer lock. Documents indicate that Beethoven presented the lock to musician Anton Halm in April 1826.

Rifai and associates assessed the lead, arsenic, and mercury levels in the two hairlocks using clinically approved mass spectrometry techniques. The hair locks were previously cleaned and dried to reduce contamination during handling and storage.

The lead content in the Bermann lock was 64 times higher than the top limit of what is deemed normal for an otherwise healthy individual, while the lead concentration in the Halm-Thayer lock was 95 times higher than that reference range. Mercury and arsenic levels were also elevated.

The researchers estimated Beethoven's blood lead concentration to have been between 69 and 71 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL) based on the lead levels found in hair samples from the 19th century.

"Such lead levels are commonly associated with gastrointestinal and renal ailments and decreased hearing but are not considered high enough to be the sole cause of death," Rifai and colleagues wrote in the study.

The researchers added that lead exposure may have contributed to the recorded illnesses that Beethoven suffered from for most of his life, even though the concentrations found do not support the theory that lead exposure caused Beethoven's death.

The custom of consuming lead-containing beverages and the lead-based medical procedures practiced during Beethoven's lifetime clearly explain his lead exposure. Now that researchers have new measurements from certified samples, they are more confident in how that lead exposure likely impacted his health.

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How Did Beethoven Die?

A 2023 study examining Beethoven's hair found that he was genetically predisposed to liver disease. The researchers also learned that he had hepatitis B, which inflamed his liver. It could have spread to him during childbirth, sexual intercourse, or surgery using contaminated tools.

Tristan Begg, a biological anthropologist at the University of Cambridge in England and the study's lead author, believed that Beethoven "was drinking practically daily." William Meredith, founding director of the Beethoven Center at San José State University, said that today when one has hepatitis B, doctors will tell the person not to drink a single glass of wine.

The researchers conclude that he most likely developed cirrhosis, from which he never fully recovered, as a result of a mix of his hereditary susceptibility to liver disease, hepatitis B, and alcohol usage.

Beethoven had so many illnesses that many ideas emerged regarding their underlying causes. For instance, some experts attribute the cause to syphilis, while others have suggested lead poisoning, alcoholism, sarcoidosis, and Whipple's illness.

"There's so much wrong with him, and there's so much source material," Begg added, noting that there were "a lot of very plausible ideas."

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