Doctor Inadvertently Killed Beethoven?

One of Yahoo's most emailed stories this week is about a new theory surrounding Beethoven's death. It's well known that Beethoven was ill in the years leading to his death, in which he finally succumbed to liver failure and dropsy. After several tests on Beethoven's hair and bone samples, forensic scientists found large amounts lead, causing them to believe Beethoven died of lead poisoning. Christian Reiter, an expert in forensic science from Vienna, has reason to believe that it was Beethoven's doctor who, in fact, gave Beethoven lethal doses of the toxic metal. Reiter has performed extensive analyses on Beethoven's hair and found some surprising results - every time Beethoven was treated by his doctor, the levels of lead found in his hair would spike. I highly doubt it was murder (they used to "bleed" people in order to cure them). Beethoven's doctor's intentions were most likely honest and true, but if Reiter is correct, the doctor was only making matters worse.

Learn more about Beethoven in this profile.