Key takeaways:
- Researchers analyzed Beethoven’s DNA from preserved locks of his hair and sequenced the composer’s genome for the first time.
- They found a genetic risk for liver disease, plus a liver-damaging hepatitis B infection in the last months of his life.
- The study’s primary goal was to shed light on Beethoven’s health problems and to honor his wish that his ailments be studied and shared.
Nearly 200 years after Ludwig van Beethoven’s death, researchers have used strands of his hair to uncover clues about the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him.
In a study published Wednesday in the journal Current Biology, researchers analyzed Beethoven’s DNA from preserved locks of his hair and sequenced the composer’s genome for the first time. They found a genetic risk for liver disease, plus a liver-damaging hepatitis B infection in the last months of his life.
Beethoven famously suffered from progressive hearing loss, beginning in his mid- to late-20s and eventually leading to him being completely deaf. It is widely believed that this, combined with his chronic drinking, caused the liver failure that is believed to have killed him.
The study’s primary goal was to shed light on Beethoven’s health problems and to honor his wish that his ailments be studied and shared. Lead author Dr. Martin Kater of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn said in a statement that the study was a “great success,” as it “provides us with a better understanding of the medical history of Ludwig van Beethoven.”
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