United States: The mysterious death of Ludwig van Beethoven by liver and kidney disease puzzled scientists even today, that how it caused his untimely death.
According to the guesswork of historians, high lead levels from antimony consumption were responsible for the composer’s demise. However, this assumption can now finally be excluded as per a new study published in the Clinical Chemistry journal.
More about the study
The research done on the samples collected from locks of Beethoven’s preserved hair has indicated that if the musician had high levels of lead, that yet cannot be the reason for his demise. It is because, as per the scientists, the levels were not that high to kill him.
The lead researcher, Nader Rifai, a pathology professor at Harvard Medical School, said, “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,” as US News reported.
More into the investigation by experts
Throughout his life, Beethoven had a lot of illnesses. For example, he had GI troubles, and then he had hearing problems as well as disease of the liver and kidneys. On March 26, 1827, he died at the mere age of 56.
Besides all the other states above, high levels of lead in his system might also have contributed to his famous traits such as outbursts, forgetfulness, and often spotted clumsiness.
Researchers in the 2000s were the first to propose that lead poisoning could have been the probable cause of his death after collectively finding extremely high lead levels across his whole hair sample dating back to the time.
Interventions might have been made earlier, but the lock was finally revealed not to belong to a man but a woman.
More about the recent research
In the year 2023, Rifai and colleagues opted to try once again together, with two authenic actual locks of hair, i.e. the Bermann and Halm-Thayer locks, that were taken late in his life.
The Bermann Lock was recorded to have high lead levels, 64 times the limit that is normally found, and the Halm-Thayer Lock was found to have 95 times greater concentration of lead than normal, toxicology showed.
This would indicate that Beethoven’s blood lead levels would be 69 to 71 micrograms per deciliter, which is way above the blood lead levels that are safe for an adult.
Also, the blood lead level is high enough to cause irreparable damage to the brain such that even though it is not high enough to kill him, he may have struck a considerable blow to the quality of life, as US News reported.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), normally, modern adults are seen at a risk for lead poisoning if they have levels between 3.5 to 60 micrograms per deciliter.
Rifai said, “While the concentrations determined are not supportive of the notion that lead exposure caused Beethoven’s death, it may have contributed to the documented ailments that plagued him most of his life,” as US News reported.