Unraveling Beethoven's Health Mysteries through DNA Analysis of His Hair

Researchers have extracted DNA from strands of Ludwig van Beethoven's hair to investigate the health problems and hearing loss that plagued him. They found a genetic risk for liver disease, plus a liver-damaging hepatitis B infection in the last months of his life, which, along with his chronic drinking, were probably enough to cause the liver failure that is widely believed to have killed him. However, they were unable to determine the cause of his deafness or severe stomach ailments. The genome may offer more clues in the future as we learn more about how genes influence health.