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This critical reevaluation of the causes of many of Beethoven's illnesses offers detailed accounts of the treatments applied by his physicians and a comprehensive rendering of the composer's final illness, death, and burial. Separate chapters discuss the causes of many of Beethoven's illnesses, his autopsy and the exhumations. Following the rediscovery of the original Latin autopsy report in 1970, the author has discovered two faulty translations, which he argues contributed to errors in earlier medical assumptions. New evidence disputes earlier assertions that Beethoven's deafness resulted from syphilis. This fascinating account of Beethoven's ailments should appeal to Beethoven enthusiasts and to both the medical and music communities.
List of contents
Preface
Beethoven's Physicians and Their Treatments
The Accounts of Beethoven's Deafness
Beethoven's Appearance
Final Illness, Death, and Burial
The Autopsy
The Exhumations
The Question of Venereal Disease: A Critical Reevaluation
The Cause of Beethoven's Deafness
The Gastrointestinal Disorders
Liver Disease
The Respiratory Catarrhs
Beethoven's Rheumatic Complaints
Beethoven's Headaches
Beethoven's Eye Disorder
The Cause of Beethoven's Death
Appendix 1: Beethoven's Conversations with Herr Sandra
Appendix 2: Beethoven's Compositions
Bibliography
Glossary of Medical Terms
Index of Beethoven's Works in This Volume
General Index
About the author
PETER J. DAVIES is a Consultant Physician in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology in private practice, in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of many scholarly papers and articles published in the Journal of Royal Society Medicine, The Musical Times, and Speculum, Gut, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and The Medical Journal of Australia.
Summary
This critical reevaluation of the causes of many of Beethoven's illnesses offers detailed accounts of the treatments applied by his physicians and a comprehensive rendering of the composer's final illness, death, and burial.
