ベートーヴェンの病跡と芸術Ⅱ

The Pathography and Art of Beethoven, Revisited

音楽家ベートーヴェンは進行性の難聴と腹痛を患ったが，どちらの症状も鉛中毒によって説明できる。Beggら（2023）はゲノム解析により，5房の毛髪がベートーヴェンの真正な遺髪であると認定して，彼の重い肝臓病の原因を解明した。またRifaiら（2024）は，真正な毛髪の房から異常に高い濃度の鉛を検出した。これらの新たな証拠により，ベートーヴェンを悩ませた病の原因は鉛中毒であったと結論できる。

Abstract

The musician Ludwig van Beethoven suffered from progressive hearing loss and abdominal pain, both of which can be explained by lead intoxication. With genomic analyses, Begg et al. (2023) have confirmed that the five locks of hair attributed to Beethoven were authentic. Moreover, the possible cause of his severe liver disease was revealed. Rifai et al. (2024) have observed unusually high lead levels in authenticated locks of hair from Beethoven. Based on the new pieces of evidence, we conclude that his hearing loss and gastrointestinal complaints were caused by plumbism.