Beethoven in Person: His Deafness, Illnesses, and Death

by Peter J. Davies

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313315879
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/30/2001
Series:	Contributions to the Study of Music and Dance , #59
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.88(d)

About the Author

PETER J. DAVIES is a retired Consultant Physician in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. He is the author of Mozart in Person: His Character and Health (Greenwood, 1989).

Table 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

Editorial Reviews

A consultant physician in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Davies summarizes the debate since the middle of the 19th century about the various diseases that afflicted the German composer and the cause of his death. After a medical chronology, he examines such topics as Beethoven's physicians and their treatments, his deafness, the autopsy and exhumations, venereal disease, liver disease, rheumatic complaints, headaches, and eye disorders. He includes an extensive glossary of medical terms without indicating pronunciation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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