The lead issue

[Suzie]

Please excuse me if this subject had been beaten to death in a previous topic, as I have been out of the loop for a bit. Didn't Mr. vB have a pencil in his hand for the better part of every day? Weren't they made out of lead back then?

Suz

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Suzie:
Please excuse me if this subject had been beaten to death in a previous topic, as I have been out of the loop for a bit. Didn't Mr. vB have a pencil in his hand for the better part of every day? Weren't they made out of lead back then?

Suz

This is a very interesting question, and I hope someone can shed some light on it. I forget at the moment which of the ladies here has 20+ books on Beethoven in her library. Has she seen anything on this?

The Spanish painter Goya, a contemporary of Beethoven, was poisoned to some extent by the lead white in the paint he used. His works reflect many of the strange agonies and visions which this caused in him.

[Andrea]

Yes, Chaszz, I am the one who has 28 books on Beethoven. The data I know of is from the results done on the testing of Beethoven's hair a few years ago. They found that Beethoven suffered from lead poisoning. The source of the lead poisoning is unknown but could have been from drinking mineral water at spas, from dishes or wine stored in lead-lined flasks or lead crystal. They think that this may have been a factor in his sometimes irrational behavior and sudden outbursts. Back in those days lead poisoning was common place. Now maybe some people will see why Beethoven may have appeared, to some, to be wild and unpredictable.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Andrea:
Yes, Chaszz, I am the one who has 28 books on Beethoven. The data I know of is from the results done on the testing of Beethoven's hair a few years ago. They found that Beethoven suffered from lead poisoning. The source of the lead poisoning is unknown but could have been from drinking mineral water at spas, from dishes or wine stored in lead-lined flasks or lead crystal. They think that this may have been a factor in his sometimes irrational behavior and sudden outbursts. Back in those days lead poisoning was common place. Now maybe some people will see why Beethoven may have appeared, to some, to be wild and unpredictable.

I'm not convinced by this - since it was common to visit the spas and 'take the waters' I would expect thousands os people to show the same levels of lead poisoning. Comparative tests on others would have to be done before any scientific conclusions could be drawn. I think Suzie's suggestion is even more plausible as Beethoven would have had more constant contact with lead pencils than most.

------------------
'Man know thyself'

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Peter:
I'm not convinced by this - since it was common to visit the spas and 'take the waters' I would expect thousands os people to show the same levels of lead poisoning. Comparative tests on others would have to be done before any scientific conclusions could be drawn. I think Suzie's suggestion is even more plausible as Beethoven would have had more constant contact with lead pencils than most.

Is it possible the whole Romantic era is due to lead poisoning?


(just joking)

(I think...)

[Rod]

[quote]Origina