Very interesting. Another possibility is drinking wine from vessels covered
with a lead glaze. This was a commom form of lead poisoning at this time.
Ann
Gary Greenberg wrote in message <39EDA970.D816F42 at Duke.Edu>...
>Poison May Have Doomed Beethoven
>http://news.excite.com/news/ap/001018/06/beethovens-hair>>(Mod: Please visit website for complete article. - G]
>>Updated 6:06 AM ET October 18, 2000
>>By MARTHA IRVINE, Associated Press Writer
>>ARGONNE, Ill. (AP) - An analysis of a lock of Ludwig van Beethoven's
>hair suggests lead poisoning could explain certain ailments suffered by
>the erratic genius, his strange behavior, his death, maybe even his
>deafness.
>>The four-year analysis of the hair - apparently snipped after the
>composer's death at age 56 in 1827 - has turned up a concentration of
>lead 100 times the levels commonly found in people today, according to
>researchers at the Health Research Institute in suburban Chicago, where
>the hair was tested.
>>That means it is all but certain that the composer suffered from lead
>poisoning, also known as plumbism, the researchers said.
>>"It was a surprise, but it stood out like a sore thumb in the analysis,"
>said William Walsh, director of the institute's Beethoven research
>project.
>>Scientists initially were searching for mercury, a common treatment for
>syphilis in Beethoven's day. The absence of mercury supports the recent
>consensus of scholars who believe Beethoven did not have syphilis.
>>In rare cases, lead poisoning causes deafness, but scientists remain
>unsure if that was what caused Beethoven's hearing loss.
>>...
>>Lead poisoning may also explain what some described as dramatic mood
>swings on Beethoven's part.
>>...
>>The Health Research Institute scientists said that Beethoven's lead
>exposure came as an adult but that the source of the lead is unclear,
>though one possibility is the mineral water he swam in and drank during
>his stays at spas.
>>The conclusions were based on chemical analysis by the McCrone Research
>Institute in Chicago and images taken at Argonne National Laboratory
>using an electron accelerator that creates the most detailed X-rays
>available today.
>>= - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - = - =
>>Center for Beethoven Studies:
>http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/beethoven/>http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/beethoven/hair/hair.html>>--
>Gary N. Greenberg, MD MPH Sysop / Moderator Occ-Env-Med-L MailList
>gary.greenberg at duke.edu Duke Occupat, Environ, Int & Fam Medicine
>OEM-L Maillist Website: http://occhealthnews.com>>>---
>
