Interesting article about Beethoven's illnesses

[grace65]

Yes, I read this too Grace- very disrespectful to dear Ludwig! I wish his items had all been saved in one place. Shame the building was demolished too.

Have you got a hard copy of this book? It is hard to find now as it is out of print, but I am so grateful to Project Gutenberg for putting the ebook free online. Maybe I will print it out one day and make a nice cover for it!

Yes, I do have a hard copy of Gerhard Von Breunning books. Try ABE Books on the internet or ebay, that's where I normally purchase my books from, ABE Books pricing isn't bad as the books are second hand. Hope this help.

It is a shame that they demolished the Schwarzspanierhaus even though people protested. It would have been perfect as a Beethoven museum in Vienna.

[AeolianHarp]

Yes, I do have a hard copy of Gerhard Von Breunning books. Try ABE Books on the internet or ebay, that's where I normally purchase my books from, ABE Books pricing isn't bad as the books are second hand. Hope this help.

It is a shame that they demolished the Schwarzspanierhaus even though people protested. It would have been perfect as a Beethoven museum in Vienna.

Well it'll come along at some point I am sure! I can ask the printer man in town how much it'd be to print it too. He does binding also.I'd need to convert it from pdf and re format it first though as there are odd spaces in the text.

They should never have demolished the Schwarzspanierhaus! Yes it could have been a very moving tribute to and museum for Beethoven. Imagine if it'd had been as he left it!- first curated by Gerhard and other friends, then their descendents etc and until modern times when a Vienna Beethoven society could have managed it like the one in Bonn.....

[dahc]

I know that the gradual loss of hearing and tinnitus that Beethoven suffered from would have been unbearable. This desperation may have caused him to experiment with any type of relief doctors or healers may have suggested. Maybe these other ailments were a result of ingesting supposed cures. And of course depression. too
"Beethoven's Hair" is the title of the book that creates a story around the analysis of a lock of the Masters hair.
It is hard to believe he created such beautiful music amid a deep frustration and eventually hoplessness.
His imagination gave him his inspiration

[AeolianHarp]

I know that the gradual loss of hearing and tinnitus that Beethoven suffered from would have been unbearable.

Reading what he had to say about it is heartbreaking, poor man. If you go on you tube and hear examples of tinnitus noises it is terrible. William Shatner has tinnitus also- he had some kind of therapy to train himself to be able to somewhat ignore the noises, but even today there is no real cure.

This desperation may have caused him to experiment with any type of relief doctors or healers may have suggested. Maybe these other ailments were a result of ingesting supposed cures. And of course depression too

Yes, in his letters he mentions all sorts of approaches but none of them were effective, sadly. He had to learn to cope with it. I get the impression as he got older the tinnitus lessened and his deafness grew.

"Beethoven's Hair" is the title of the book that creates a story around the analysis of a lock of the Masters hair.
It is hard to believe he created such beautiful music amid a deep frustration and eventually hopelessness.
His imagination gave him his inspiration

Yes, it always astonishes me the high level of music he was able to create despite feeling ill most of his life.

[grace65]

I've read Beethoven's hair and found it very interesting. What I found so unbelievable about the results is the fact that there was no traces of morphine in his hair. Beethoven must have suffered so much in his final days. I know that some people say that maybe painkiller were offered but he rejected them because he didn't what to lose his creativity, but there would have been time when he knew that the end was near. Was all this pain and suffering necessary? I believe that no painkillers were offer, as Dr Wawruch or Dr Malfatta acknowledges having prescribed any to Beethoven.

I'll just quote what William Meredith, director of the Beethoven Centre says, "Beethoven suffered needlessly" at the end of his life, especially considering that his abdomen had been opened repeatedly to drain excess fluid. It underscores the fact that Beethoven received barbaric treatment, even by the standards of the day".

[AeolianHarp]

I've read Beethoven's hair and found it very interesting. What I found so unbelievable about the results is the fact that there was no traces of morphine in his hair. Beethoven must have suffered so much in his final days. I know that some people say that maybe painkiller were offered but he rejected them because he didn't what to lose his creativity, but there would have been time when he knew that the end was near. Was all this pain and suffering necessary? I believe that no painkillers were offer, as Dr Wawruch or Dr Malfatta acknowledges having prescribed any to Beethoven.

I am quite certain that his doctors would have offered him opium or laudanum ( no morphine then, that came later on in the nineteenth century) but it is as you say, said that he refused them. He was probably well aware of the side effects and danger of addiction, though I concede when he knew he was dying they may of been of some help then, but still he didn't want them it seems.

I'll just quote what William Meredith, director of the Beethoven Centre says, "Beethoven suffered needlessly" at the end of his life, especially considering that his abdomen had been opened repeatedly to drain excess fluid. It underscores the fact that Beethoven received barbaric treatment, even by the standards of the day".

The tapping of his stomach sounds barbaric, and indeed it was horrible, but it was necessary sadly, to drain the fluid- this is still done today. The only real difference is that we have anaesthetics and aseptic techniques. And of course antibiotics should the wound become infected.

Opium/laudanum would have reduced his pain I am pretty sure, but he just didn't want to be drugged up.