Lead killed Beethoven, researchers say

By focusing the most powerful X-ray beam in the Western Hemisphere on six of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hairs and a few pieces of his skull, scientists have gathered what they say is conclusive evidence that the famous composer died of lead poisoning.

The work, done at the Energy Department’s Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago, confirms earlier hints that lead may have caused Beethoven’s decades of poor health, which culminated in a long and painful death in 1827 at age 56.

“There’s no doubt in my mind … he was a victim of lead poisoning,” said Bill Walsh, an expert in forensic analysis and chief scientist at Pfeiffer Treatment Center in Warrenville, Ill., who led the study with energy department researcher Ken Kemner. Details were to be announced today.

Still a mystery, however, is the source of Beethoven’s lead exposure, which evidence now suggests occurred over many years. Among the possibilities are his liberal indulgence in wine consumed from lead cups or perhaps a lifetime of medical treatments, which in the 19th century were often laced with heavy metals.

One metal that was clearly absent was mercury, Walsh said, a detail that weakens the hypothesis floated by some that Beethoven had syphilis, which in those days was commonly treated with mercury.

“We found zero evidence of that,” Walsh said, “so it was nice to exonerate him of that scurrilous possibility.”