Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the greatest musicians of all time. Even today, Beethoven, who thrills millions of music lovers, faced many health problems such as deafness, liver disease, chronic abdominal pain, rheumatism, skin disease and eye disease during his lifetime. May 7 marks 200 years since Beethoven’s famous Ninth Symphony was performed after he became completely deaf.

Meanwhile, a Mayo Clinic study has revealed that lead poisoning may be behind Beethoven’s deafness and other diseases. An examination of Beethoven’s hair has unraveled the mystery of the ailments that plagued him during his lifetime.

Australian businessman Kevin Brown, who has three hairpins confirmed by DNA testing as Beethoven’s, sent two of them to the Myoclinic lab for testing. Lab Director Paul Janetto said that one gram of hair curler had 258 micrograms of lead and another had 380 micrograms of lead. It is unusual to find more than four micrograms of lead in one gram of hair. A lab report says that Beethoven was a victim of massive lead poisoning.

In addition to lead, Beethoven’s hair also had high levels of arsenic and mercury, according to the Myoclinic. Arsenic levels were found to be 13 times higher than normal and mercury levels were four times higher. The test results have been published in the Journal of Clinical Chemistry.

David Eaton, a toxicologist at the University of Washington, told the New York Times that high levels of lead may have affected the nervous system and caused Beethoven’s deafness. But researchers don’t think anyone deliberately poisoned Beethoven. In 19th-century Europe, lead was used in wine and food.

It is thought that cheap wine made Beethoven get a large amount of lead. In those days, lead acetate was added to flavor inferior wines. Fermentation of wine in metal vessels lit with lead and soaking wine bottle corks in lead salt are thought to have increased the presence of lead in the wine.

Researchers speculate that Beethoven’s habit of drinking a lot of wine may have led to various health problems due to excess lead poisoning in the body. This unique musical talent died in 1827 at the age of 56 after battling various diseases.