Beethoven's headache and a very dubious treatment

[AeolianHarp]

Johann Adam Schmidt to Beethoven
Vienna, the 22nd of July, 1807

I was, dear friend, convinced before that your headache is related to gout, and now that the tooth has been pulled out, I am still convinced of it. Your pain will get milder, but it will not stop, also not in Baden and Rodaun, since the Boreas[1] is your enemy. Therefore, leave Baden now, or, if you still want to try it in Rodaun for 8 days, put on the mezereum bark bandage, on your arms, right away.[2] Of leeches, we do not have to expect anything, anymore, but rather from your walking briskly, working little, sleeping, eating well and moderately imbibing in spirits.

Greetings and friendship, Yours, Schmidt.

http://www.raptusassociation.org/creation1_e.html

I was curious as to this mezereum bark. An internet search turned this up:

A very common plant which few people realise is poisonous and which was used as a cosmetic until the damage caused by the rosy glow it produced was understood

How Poisonous, How Harmful?

All parts of the plant yield an acrid, irritant sap though the bark and berries produce most. The sap contains an irritant, coumarin, and a resin, mezerein. The resin is thought to be the principal poison though there are also glycosides present.

Non-fatal doses cause vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and a burning sensation in the mouth. Larger doses add to these shivering, dilation of the pupils, convulsions and damage to the oral passages and the intestine.

The berries look quite like redcurrants and may attract children to try them but the acrid taste is a disincentive to large scale consumption.

The sap causes skin irritation resulting in redness of the skin.

http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/ato...e_mezereum.htm

Poor Beethoven- he mustn't have felt any better after that bark bandage- maybe even worse.
I can't work out the reasoning behind a bark bandage on his arms for a headache...

[Harvey]

Fascinating website. Thanks for posting. What people didn't know and the cure was often worse than the problem.

[Peter]

I can't work out the reasoning behind a bark bandage on his arms for a headache...

Maybe along acupuncture lines where needles go in all sorts of places or the effective treatment for travel sickness, bands around the wrist on certain pressure points.

What I find most odd though about their treatments is that they persisted for so long with things that clearly didn't work and were harmful. Obviously it was because they had no effective remedy but as doctors needed to make a living they couldn't admit that, and if there was an improvement it would be down to placebo effect or just luck!

It's a miracle Beethoven lived as long as he did, mind you it was a miracle that he even existed, so much do we take for granted.

[Michael]

It's a miracle Beethoven lived as long as he did, mind you it was a miracle that he even existed, so much do we take for granted.

Yes, when you think of how many much greater composers died at the age of one or two!

[AeolianHarp]

Fascinating website. Thanks for posting. What people didn't know and the cure was often worse than the problem.

It's kind of scary what they didn't know isn't it. I would say not meaning to blow my own trumpet, but, me as a modern person who has done some health studies, knows more than a doctor did back in Beethoven's day..
I don't say this with arrogance, nor disparaging Dr Schmidt, more in wonder of what has been discovered since 1807.

[AeolianHarp]

Maybe along acupuncture lines where needles go in all sorts of places or the effective treatment for travel sickness, bands around the wrist on certain pressure points.

Possibly..but I don't think European doctors knew anything about acupuncture at that time- that was Chinese knowledge, and as far as I know, China and the West weren't sharing medical knowledge during the early nineteenth century.

What I find most odd though about their treatments is that they persisted for so long with things that clearly didn't work and were harmful. Obviously it was because they had no effective remedy but as doctors needed to make a living they couldn't admit that, and if there was an improvement it would be down to placebo effect or just luck!

I will be a bit out there and say that many of the folk remedies, the herbal knowledge ( many of which was helpful and what modern herbalists prescribe today) was what local wise village women knew and passed down to other women. As women were not allowed to be doctors, and women's knowledge was often under valued, much of the herbal remedies were not prescribed by doctors. For some odd reason doctors seemed to go with Mercury and other metals and blood letting.

They knew that they were toxic- the poet John Keats who studied at Guy's, learned about that, and his teacher advised Mercury to be used sparingly. Even so, Keats himself was once taking " a little Mercury" for a sore throat (probably strep throat) and his friend, Charles Brown, who was not a doctor even made Keats promise to stop taking it, as Keats was suffering from adverse effects.


However, even today we have medicines that are not that safe, and have nasty side effects. My poor father was poisoned by a semi synthetic opiate after an operation recently! They put him on a drip and the stupid nurse told him to press a button and to have as much as he wanted. My poor father was violently sick for 3 days as a result. And it is known this opiate should be taken sparingly as it makes people sick. Medical practise still needs improvement.

It's a miracle Beethoven lived as long as he did, mind you it was a miracle that he even existed, so much do we take for granted.

Yes, indeed! If he had been born in the middle of the twentieth century he probably would have lived to about 80- it was said that Beethoven was powerfully built and people thought that he looked like he ought to have been in perfect health, but sadly he wasn't.

[AeolianHarp]

I just read in the google link that Dr Schmidt gave up the bark treatment as it was useless.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C...daches&f=false

I don't know why he didn't give Beethoven Feverfew- that cures headaches! Did for me. But then I suppose it took a village wise woman to know that..

[Harvey]

How about the modern trend for drug companies to hook people on drugs. Never mind the drug pusher. Doctors may be your worst enemy in this case. LINK

[Peter]

How about the modern trend for drug companies to hook people on drugs. Never mind the drug pusher. Doctors may be your worst enemy in this case. LINK

We're getting a little off topic Harvey for this forum so any responses should really be in the general forum. Suffice to say that human nature always seeks to exploit and that hasn't changed since Beethoven's time!

[AeolianHarp]

Keeping the topic going- I wonder what caused Beethoven's headaches? And were they of the migraine type...

[Decrepit Poster]

Keeping the topic going- I wonder what caused Beethoven's headaches? And were they of the migraine type...

It has indeed been conjectured by some that Beethoven's headaches were migraines. This far removed from the source we will of course never know with certainty. But as a migraine sufferer since 1981 I can tell you from personal experience that migraines in and of themselves could at least partially account for B's oft observed mood swings. Back before I was prescribed fairly effective preventative and breakthrough-ending medications, in the midst of an attack the last thing I wanted was to be bothered by people, and probably came across as crass and irritable when forced to do so. I just wanted them to go away so I could lay in my bed with the lights off, sleep mask over my eyes to block out as much light as possible, plugs in my ears. It didn't relieve pain to any appreciable degree, but didn't increase it as would having to deal with people.

One also tends to care not one iota about the neatness and cleanliness of one's surrounding during an attack. This might to some degree account for B's reputation for often living in squaller. Then again, living conditions might simply not have mattered much to him at the best of times. I'm a bit that way myself, and as a confirmed bachelor living alone (another trait I share with the master) don't have to answer to anyone for the state of my surroundings. I honestly don't think much about it, or find it worth correcting if and when I do. I suspect B was something like that. He likely placed so little emphasis in tidiness that he never noticed the mess around him except maybe when it kept him from finding something of immediate importance.

As to causes, they are many and varied. Mine are rooted in an a specific event. For many they begin for no traceable reason. Once subject to attacks, they can be triggered by a great many things . . . bright lights, sounds, smells, changes in the weather, food/drink, anxiety/stress and so on. Not all sufferers are susceptible to all triggers. I, for instance, have never been bothered by anxiety/stress. On the other hand, even with an effective preventative I must be careful of what I eat and drink. Beethoven might have been subject to any of or all these triggers, which were not as well understood then as now.

[Harvey]

We're getting a little off topic Harvey for this forum so any responses should really be in the general forum. Suffice to say that human nature always seeks to exploit and that hasn't changed since Beethoven's time!

Guess I got a little carried away. I tend to be tangential in my thinking and will jump from topic to topic but that can wreak havoc on a forum thread, so thanks for turning it around.

Back to Beethoven: I guess a treatment that does not work is thought better than the alternative of no treatment in hopes that if they keep at it long enough it might work?

[Peter]

Guess I got a little carried away. I tend to be tangential in my thinking and will jump from topic to topic but that can wreak havoc on a forum thread, so thanks for turning it around.

Back to Beethoven: I guess a treatment that does not work is thought better than the alternative of no treatment in hopes that if they keep at it long enough it might work?

No problem Harvey, it's easily done and I'm just as guilty at times!

Beethoven had quite a few doctors and tried many different 'remedies' for his various ailments - probably one of the best was the champagne sent to him at the very end of his life that he was never able to try!

[AeolianHarp]

It has indeed been conjectured by some that Beethoven's headaches were migraines. This far removed from the source we will of course never know with certainty. But as a migraine sufferer since 1981 I can tell you from personal experience that migraines in and of themselves could at least partially account for B's oft observed mood swings. Back before I was prescribed fairly effective preventative and breakthrough-ending medications, in the midst of an attack the last thing I wanted was to be bothered by people, and probably came across as crass and irritable when forced to do so. I just wanted them to go away so I could lay in my bed with the lights off, sleep mask over my eyes to block out as much light as possible, plugs in my ears. It didn't relieve pain to any appreciable degree, but didn't increase it as would having to deal with people.

Diagnosing Genius ( book on Beethoven's illnesses) doesn't mention his headaches much. Sorry to hear you have had migraines DP. I can understand that a sufferer would want to be left alone in peace.

One also tends to care not one iota about the neatness and cleanliness of one's surrounding during an attack. This might to some degree account for B's reputation for often living in squaller. Then again, living conditions might simply not have mattered much to him at the best of times. I'm a bit that way myself, and as a confirmed bachelor living alone (another trait I share with the master) don't have to answer to anyone for the state of my surroundings. I honestly don't think much about it, or find it worth correcting if and when I do. I suspect B was something like that. He likely placed so little emphasis in tidiness that he never noticed the mess around him except maybe when it kept him from finding something of immediate importance.

Part of the messiness of Beethoven's apartments was due to lazy servants also- a man of Beethoven's social standing didn't do his own cleaning back then- servants were employed for that. I remember reading an account of someone ( I forget who) who visited Beethoven said the dust was thick on his desks and furniture. The servants hadn't done any dusting for months it seemed! I know how dust builds up- I am constantly at war with it- and that is with modern cleaning aids, so it was harder to clear dust without vacuum cleaners etc those days, but at least the servants could have made the effort, since they were being paid for it. But then again, maybe Beethoven didn't notice the dust! If one is composing a symphony maybe dust is not important! However, his personal hygiene he did take care of- bathing/washing every day, sometimes more than once a day.

I also saw in that google link (Swafford) you gave DP that in one of his conversation books Karl had written something like: "I don't know where the lice have come from. Anyway lice are healthy." !!! So obviously Beethoven had asked Karl about lice- head lice maybe? And wasn't pleased about it, being into keeping clean.

As to causes, they are many and varied. Mine are rooted in an a specific event. For many they begin for no traceable reason. Once subject to attacks, they can be triggered by a great many things . . . bright lights, sounds, smells, changes in the weather, food/drink, anxiety/stress and so on. Not all sufferers are susceptible to all triggers. I, for instance, have never been bothered by anxiety/stress. On the other hand, even with an effective preventative I must be careful of what I eat and drink. Beethoven might have been subject to any of or all these triggers, which were not as well understood then as now.

I suspect that Beethoven may have had some food sensitivities- such as coffee (caffeine- would explain his stomach problems to some degree), cow's milk and wheat.