The analysis of a lock of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair suggests that lead poisoning, or plumbism, could be the cause of his deafness, his many ailments, and eventually his death.

A four-year study at the Health Research Institute in Naperville, Illinois, showed the concentration of lead in Beethoven’s hair to be some 100 times the amount found in healthy human hair.

"It was a surprise, but it stood out like a sore thumb in the analysis," said William Walsh, director of the research project.

Beethoven died in 1827 at 57, after suffering from various ailments, such as severe abdominal pain, depression, and irritability, for almost 20 years. According to Walsh, these are all symptoms of lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning could also have caused Beethoven’s deafness, though this only happens in rare cases. It is also a possible explanation for some dramatic mood swings on Beethoven’s part.

"If you asked friends, they’d say he could be gruff, but he had a great sense of humor," according to William Meredith, director of the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University. "Others say he was unpredictable -- very erratic behavior -- that you’d never know what to expect when you’d visit him."

Beethoven is well known for his unkempt long hair and filthy appearance. He was known to bicker with waiters and wander around Vienna in an oversize top hat and a coat that was too long, humming off-key and scribbling in a notebook.

The source of the lead contamination remains unknown, however. Researchers are certain that Beethoven’s exposure to lead came as an adult, suggesting that the water he swam in and drank while staying at spas might have been the source.

"[Beethoven’s] symptoms were so devastating and so striking. Certainly not many others in the city of Vienna had those symptoms, or it would have been reported," said Walsh.

The conclusions were based on images taken of six strands of hair at the Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, using an electron accelerator that creates the most detailed X-rays available today. Another two strands were destroyed to determine their composition at the McCrone Research Institute in Chicago.

The study also helped discount the possibility that Beethoven had syphilis, thought to be the cause of some of his aliments. The composer’s hair had undetectable levels of mercury, which was used as a treatment for syphilis in his time, and would have left traces in his hair if consumed. Of course, he did not necessarily have to be treated with mercury, even if he really had syphilis.

The analysis did not find drug metabolites, which indicate Beethoven avoided painkillers during his long and painful death. "This implies that he decided to keep his mind clear for his music," Walsh said.

Beethoven often wondered why he was miserable all his life, why illness had destroyed his social life and the enjoyment that he should have derived from his music. Before he died, he wrote a letter to his brothers that said: "As soon as I am dead, if Dr. Schmidt is still alive, ask him in my name to discover my disease, and attach this written document to his account of my illness so at least as much as possible the world may be reconciled to me after my death."

"So we’re fulfilling part of his wishes, albeit [many] years later," Said Walsh.

- Reuters, AFP