[LUTE] Re: Bad Beethoven hearing

[John Mardinly]

There is much documentation of an autopsy done by a Dr. Dr. Johann Wagner on 27 
March 1827, and his report is readily available:
Just Google “Beethoven Autopsy” for a bounteous selection of articles 
summarizing the autopsy and what conclusions may or may not be drawn from it. 
It is interesting reading.

A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters
Francisco Goya



> On Nov 12, 2017, at 6:27 PM, howard posner  wrote:
> 
> 
>> On Nov 12, 2017, at 11:03 AM, John Mardinly  wrote:
>> 
>> Of course, there is that other widely held theory that Beethoven suffered 
>> from syphilus, which in it’s tertiary stage can cause all sorts of 
>> neurological and physical degeneration. Beethoven, like Schubert, frequently 
>> visited prostitutes,
> 
> The Beethoven-prostitute angle is another pseudobiographical tidbit for which 
> there is no actual evidence, much as it gets bandied about by authors who add 
> two and two and get six.  A rather more interesting theory is that Beethoven 
> suffered from congenital syphilis, acquired from his father.  There’s no real 
> evidence to support this either (other than B’s symptoms appearing in his 
> twenties, which is typical of congenital syphilis), but nobody has any 
> problem believing anything bad about B’s dad.
> 
> Here’s a succinct refutation of the syphilis theory from Francois Mai:
> 
> "Beethoven did NOT die of syphilis. People who die of syphilis have changes 
> in their heart, arteries and brain. At Beethoven's autopsy these organs were 
> normal. There were major changes in his liver, spleen and kidneys consistent 
> with cirrhosis, likely alcoholic in origin. See my book "Diagnosing Genius: 
> The Life and Death of Beethoven" McGill-Queens UP 2007"
> 
>> which put them at high risk for contracting this infection. Schubert’s was 
>> diagnosed and treated with mercury, but he died shortly after being one of 
>> Beethoven’s pallbearers.
> 
> Yes, it was a very heavy casket.
> 
> 
> 
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[LUTE] Re: Bad Beethoven hearing

[howard posner]

> On Nov 12, 2017, at 11:03 AM, John Mardinly  wrote:
> 
> Of course, there is that other widely held theory that Beethoven suffered 
> from syphilus, which in it’s tertiary stage can cause all sorts of 
> neurological and physical degeneration. Beethoven, like Schubert, frequently 
> visited prostitutes,

The Beethoven-prostitute angle is another pseudobiographical tidbit for which 
there is no actual evidence, much as it gets bandied about by authors who add 
two and two and get six.  A rather more interesting theory is that Beethoven 
suffered from congenital syphilis, acquired from his father.  There’s no real 
evidence to support this either (other than B’s symptoms appearing in his 
twenties, which is typical of congenital syphilis), but nobody has any problem 
believing anything bad about B’s dad.

Here’s a succinct refutation of the syphilis theory from Francois Mai:

"Beethoven did NOT die of syphilis. People who die of syphilis have changes in 
their heart, arteries and brain. At Beethoven's autopsy these organs were 
normal. There were major changes in his liver, spleen and kidneys consistent 
with cirrhosis, likely alcoholic in origin. See my book "Diagnosing Genius: The 
Life and Death of Beethoven" McGill-Queens UP 2007"

> which put them at high risk for contracting this infection. Schubert’s was 
> diagnosed and treated with mercury, but he died shortly after being one of 
> Beethoven’s pallbearers.

Yes, it was a very heavy casket.



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[LUTE] Re: Bad Beethoven hearing

[John Mardinly]

Of course, there is that other widely held theory that Beethoven suffered from 
syphilus, which in it’s tertiary stage can cause all sorts of neurological and 
physical degeneration. Beethoven, like Schubert, frequently visited 
prostitutes, which put them at high risk for contracting this infection. 
Schubert’s was diagnosed and treated with mercury, but he died shortly after 
being one of Beethoven’s pallbearers.

A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters
Francisco Goya



> On Nov 11, 2017, at 9:35 PM, howard posner  wrote:
> 
>> On Nov 11, 2017, at 10:44 AM, John Mardinly  wrote:
>> 
>> Beethoven’s deafness was caused by “inner ear” problems, sometimes called 
>> labyrinthitis, a form of nerve deafness, not mechanical problems, such as 
>> damage to the eardrum or the small bones of the inner ear. As such, it is 
>> unlikely that the bone conduction would have been any use to him. 
> 
> To be fair, there’s no way of knowing exactly what caused his deafness.  
> Otosclerosis, an ossification of the inner ear parts, is sometimes cited.  I 
> imagine bone conduction wouldn’t help that either.
> 
> He also had cranial nerves that were compressed by thick skull bones, a 
> finding consistent with Paget’s disease, which can cause deafness.
> 
> 
> 
> To get on or off this list see list information at
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