Analysis ADN Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair may have shed new light on the uncertainties surrounding the cause of the German composer’s death in 1827. researchers used a technique never before used and made findings compiled in a study published Wednesday in the scientific journal Current Biology.
A genetic inconsistency discovered in the artist implies a strong genetic predisposition to liver disease. DNA tests also showed that Ludwig van Beethoven was a carrier of the virus hepatitis B at the end of his life. This might partly explain the death of the composer, which would be due to cirrhosis that heavy alcohol consumption is likely to have aggravated.
A genetic inconsistency
The analyzes were carried out in Germany on five locks considered to have belonged to the person concerned and come from public or private collections. On the other hand, they did not provide any clue as to the origins of his deafness. The hair helped map three quarters of Ludwig van Beethoven’s genome and reveal what may well be a family secret.
Experts have indeed found that the composer’s Y chromosome was different from that of five other men who were, on paper, distant relatives. They concluded that during the seven generations separating these individuals from Ludwig van Beethoven, an extramarital relationship had occurred. “You cannot exclude that Beethoven himself is illegitimate”, even estimated Tristan Begg.