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Researchers have analyzed Beethoven's DNA, uncovering secrets about his health, ancestry and a mystery that has stumped scientists
On a stormy Monday in March 1827, Ludwig van Beethoven He died after a long and painful illness. He had been bedridden since Christmas the previous year, suffering from jaundice, which caused swelling in his limbs and abdomen, making every breath a fight.
Shortly before his death, Beethoven left a will, written 25 years earlier, in which he requested that the details of his medical condition be made public. He wanted the world to know about the tragedy that had plagued him throughout his life—the progressive loss of his hearing.
Beethoven: The deafness that challenged art
Beethoven, one of the greatest musical geniuses of all time, was diagnosed with functional deafness around the age of 45.
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What initially started as tinnitus later developed into severe hearing loss, which made her career as a performer impossible.
The irony did not go unnoticed, and in a letter to his brothers, Beethoven even admitted that he was “hopelessly afflicted“Although it was vivid almost two decades after the onset of deafness, the reasons behind this condition remained a mystery to this day.
Current Biology , 2023)
The scientific revolution that revealed its secrets
In 2023, a study A revolutionary has rescued part of Beethoven's legacy. Researchers have analyzed authenticated hair samples from the composer in order to better understand his health conditions.
The biochemist John Krause, from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, led the research and said the main goal was to shed light on Beethoven's hearing loss and other illnesses he suffered during his life, such as gastrointestinal and liver problems.
The exact cause of Beethoven's deafness has never been identified, but now, with advances in science, researchers have revealed that hearing loss may be related to multiple factors, including as-yet-unknown genetic conditions.
The investigation also revealed a new cause of the composer's death. During research, scientists discovered that Beethoven He probably died from a hepatitis B infection, which was aggravated by his excessive alcohol intake and other risk factors, such as medical treatments of the time that used lead.
The lead poisoning theory, proposed in 2007, has been refuted, showing that Beethoven's death had a more complex and still not fully understood cause.
Genetics, mysteries and family secrets
The questions, however, are not limited to the composer's health. The study also revealed fascinating details about Beethoven's genetic history.
By comparing hair samples with DNA from his relatives, researchers discovered an incompatibility on the Y chromosome, indicating that there was an event of extramarital paternity in his paternal line, something Beethoven never discovered. This fact adds yet another mystery to the life of one of the most enigmatic composers of all time. story.
Beethoven's request, made in an old will, seemed simple, but it raised complex questions about his health and personal life.
In the end, the investigations revealed more than he had imagined. As he well knew, the mysteries of his life would still be unraveled long after his death, and now, two centuries later, the answers continue to emerge.
Beethoven, the great composer!!!
It's been 200 years of your wonderful music!
It doesn't matter today if he was deaf and why. He was phenomenal.
Beethoven, the creator of Romanticism. Beethoven, the genius.
They didn't uncover anything of scientific interest. They just gossiped about their personal lives, which is not in the interest of humanity.