Why did Beethoven go deaf? Could heavy metal have been to blame?

No, not that kind... but new research suggests that the reason for Beethoven's deafness may be down to lead poisoning.

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Why did Beethoven go deaf?

Researchers analysed samples of DNA taken from Beethoven's hair. The analysis showed up abnormally high concentrations of lead, arsenic and mercury.

One lock of hair, for example, contained 380 micrograms of lead per gram of hair, where normal levels today would be closer to 4 micrograms of lead per gram of hair. Beethoven's hair also contained 13 times the normal level of arsenic and four times the usual concentration of mercury.

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'These are the highest values in hair I've ever seen,' Paul Jannetto, a pathologist at the Mayo Clinic and one of the study's co-authors, told the New York Times. 'We get samples from around the world, and these values are an order of magnitude higher.'

So, how do these findings answer the question, 'why did Beethoven go deaf?' Well, the presence of these toxic metals in such high levels could partly explain why the composer suffered a number of illnesses.

Beethoven started losing his hearing in his 20s, and was completely deaf by his late 40s. However, this wasn't his only health complaint: he also suffered from gastrointestinal problems and on at least two occasions from jaundice, a symptom of liver disease. 

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High levels of lead are associated with gastrointestinal and liver problems - and also with hearing loss. So it seems that the high concentrations of lead in Beethoven's system may have brought on these problems. Indeed, they 'may have contributed to the documented ailments that plagued him most of his life,' the researchers note. 

Why did Beethoven have so much lead in his system?

There are a few possibilities answers to this. For example, it's possible that Beethoven's love of wine (he often consumed a bottle in a single day) may have been a cause. Wine producers at the time would often add lead acetate, which acted as both a preservative and a sweetener. What's more, the wine bottles themselves would have contained traces of lead.

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The presence of fish in Beethoven's diet may also have been a factor. During his time in Vienna (from 1792 until his death in 1827), the composer is known to have eaten a lot of fish caught in the Danube river, which was known for high levels of both arsenic and mercury.

'We believe this is an important piece of a complex puzzle and will enable historians, physicians and scientists to better understand the medical history of the great composer,' the researchers conclude.

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