What killed Beethoven? Genome sequencing of composer’s hair finds likely cause | World News

An international team of researchers led by Cambridge University analysed strands of hair from eight different locks believed to be Ludwig van Beethoven’s to sequence the genome of the German composer, finding the likely combination behind his death at 56-years-old, as well as a potential affair in his paternal line. Five of the eight locks of hair were deemed authentic, originating from a single European male. Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn, and he began suffering from progressive hearing loss in his mid to late 20s; he was left functionally deaf by 1818. The composer died in Vienna in 1827; however, the cause of his death has never been fully determined. Speculation began almost as soon as he was laid to rest. While unable to find a definitive cause of his deafness or gastrointestinal problems, Beethoven’s genetic predisposition to liver disease and a hepatitis B infection, combined with his broadly accepted alcohol consumption, were noted as contributors to his death.
Beethoven’s conversation books suggest that while most of his contemporaries claim his consumption was moderate by early 19th century Viennese standards, his alcohol consumption was very regular, and if sufficiently heavy over a long enough period, could have contributed to his cirrhosis. It is unlikely, based on the genomic data, coeliac disease or lactose intolerance were behind his gastrointestinal complaints. The investigation of the hair samples did not reveal a simple genetic origin of Beethoven’s hearing loss. 
The genomic research revealed a child resulting from an affair in Beethoven’s direct paternal line. The study suggests the extra-pair paternity event happened in the direct paternal line between the conception of Hendrik van Beethoven in Belgium and the conception of Ludwig van Beethoven seven generations later in 1770. Through the combination of DNA data and archival documents, a discrepancy between Ludwig van Beethoven’s legal and biological genealogy was observed. The researchers hope that by making Beethoven’s genome publicly available for researchers, and perhaps adding further authenticated locks to the initial chronological series, remaining questions about his health and genealogy can someday be answered.



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