The study, published in the journal Current Biology, analyzed DNA taken from the composer’s hair. Interestingly, the main goal was to determine the cause of Beethoven’s hearing loss.
While the researchers were unable to determine the exact etiology of his deafness, they found significant genetic risk factors for liver disease and evidence of hepatitis infection in the months before his death. It is thought that Beethoven had liver disease along with the hepatitis infection that led to his death.
Experts have also managed to uncover an interesting fact about Beethoven’s family tree. The Y chromosome did not match any of the five modern female relatives who bore the same surname and shared a common paternal ancestor. This indicates the possibility of an illegitimate child in one of the generations of the composer’s paternal line.
Source: Ferra
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