<
https://theconversation.com/we-used-dna-from-beethovens-hair-to-shed-light-on-his-poor-health-and-stumbled-upon-a-family-secret-202440>
"Many astonishingly creative people have lived lives cut tragically short by
illness. Johannes Vermeer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jane Austen, Franz Schubert
and Emily Brontë are some famous examples.
Ludwig van Beethoven’s life was not quite as short; he was 56 when he died in
1827. Yet it was short enough to tantalise us as to what more he might have
achieved, had he had better health.
For much of his adult life, Beethoven was frequently tormented by pain and poor
health – not to mention hearing loss. He gave anguished thought to these
afflictions, especially his hearing loss, and hoped they would one day be
understood and the explanation made public.
At times he despaired and contemplated suicide; at times he stopped composing
altogether.
Entire books have been written on Beethoven’s health, based on records from the
time. However, my colleagues and I approached the topic from a different
perspective. We asked what clues Beethoven’s genome – his DNA – might provide.
We found some answers, and some surprises, as we explain in new research
published in
Current Biology."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
