A group of international scientists has analyzed several hair samples of Beethoven, whose authenticity has been confirmed.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Nearly two centuries after the death of the renowned German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, scientists attempted to uncover the causes of his numerous ailments through DNA analysis. However, the research yielded not only new data about the musician’s health but also a surprising revelation about his ancestry.
This is reported by Science Alert.
As the publication notes, one of the primary objectives of the study was to determine the reasons for the progressive hearing loss that began in Beethoven’s youth and ultimately led to near-total deafness.
To achieve this, an international team of scientists analyzed several hair samples, the authenticity of which was successfully verified. Researchers hoped to find genetic predispositions for the composer’s illnesses, who also suffered for many years from severe abdominal pain, chronic digestive issues, and liver disease.
Nevertheless, scientists were ultimately unable to definitively explain either Beethoven’s hearing loss or his gastrointestinal disorders.
The Lead Poisoning Theory
Previously, a popular hypothesis suggested that the composer might have died from lead poisoning. In 2007, researchers detected high levels of this metal in a lock of hair believed to belong to Beethoven.
However, the new analysis presented an unexpected outcome: this hair did not belong to the composer at all. Moreover, it was discovered that it belonged to an unknown woman.
Thus, one of the most widely held theories regarding the cause of Beethoven’s death has effectively lost its scientific foundation.
The Most Likely Cause of Death
Based on the genetic analysis of several hair strands, whose authenticity was confirmed with much greater certainty, scientists identified traces of the Hepatitis B virus in Beethoven, as well as a genetic predisposition to liver diseases.
According to the researchers, the combination of these factors, along with alcohol consumption, likely significantly worsened the composer’s health and played a role in his death in 1827 at the age of 56.
At the same time, the scientists emphasize that even after the conducted research, they cannot state the definitive cause of the artist’s death with complete certainty.
A Surprise in the Composer’s Genealogy
The most sensational result of the research was not related to health issues but to the analysis of Beethoven’s Y-chromosome.
A comparison of the composer’s genetic material with modern descendants of his paternal line revealed a discrepancy. This indicates that in one of the generations between the 16th and 18th centuries, an extramarital affair occurred, resulting in a change in the biological origin of the Beethoven lineage.
According to the researchers’ estimates, such an event took place somewhere between the birth of one of the composer’s ancestors in Belgium around the 1570s and the birth of Beethoven himself in Bonn, Germany, in 1770.
More Answers, Also More Questions
Despite the scale of the research, many mysteries surrounding the life of one of the world’s most famous composers remain unsolved. Scientists still do not know what specifically caused his deafness, how he contracted Hepatitis B, or why he suffered from painful digestive problems for decades.
Instead, the genetic analysis, which was intended to help uncover Beethoven’s medical secrets, unexpectedly revealed another story – a family history concealed for several centuries.
We remind you that geneticists have attempted to calculate how many generations of Homo sapiens have changed over the entire 300,000-year history of humanity.
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