Beethoven's Skull Fragments in San Jose
Lisa Leff
Associated Press
San Jose Mercury News
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San Francisco (US):
The great-great nephew of an Austrian doctor who acquired several fragments of what was thought to be Ludwig van Beethoven's skull in 1863 said recently completed tests show a high likelihood that the bones he inherited 15 years ago belonged to the great composer.
Paul Kaufmann, a Danville, Calif. businessman, made the announcement Thursday at the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University, which since 1999 has helped coordinate forensic testing to both authenticate the identity of the bone fragments and determine what killed Beethoven at age 56.
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See Also
Lead poisoning could explain dour Beethoven - study
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The Center for Beethoven Studies already owned a lock of the composer's hair, which showed that the composer suffered from lead poisoning among other ailments when he died.
One of Kaufmann's fragments, submitted for heavy metals testing at Argonne National Laboratory, showed similarly high levels of lead as the hair, Kaufmann said.
The fragments - two large pieces and 11 smaller ones - were passed on to him after his uncle's death in 1990. They were contained in a pear-shaped metal box etched with the name "Beethoven" on top.
DNA tests on the hair and bone samples that could definitively determine that the fragments belonged to Beethoven are currently underway at the University of Munster in Germany, Meredith said.
Lisa LeffAssociated Press
San Jose Mercury News
__________________
San Francisco (US):
The great-great nephew of an Austrian doctor who acquired several fragments of what was thought to be Ludwig van Beethoven's skull in 1863 said recently completed tests show a high likelihood that the bones he inherited 15 years ago belonged to the great composer.
Paul Kaufmann, a Danville, Calif. businessman, made the announcement Thursday at the Center for Beethoven Studies at San Jose State University, which since 1999 has helped coordinate forensic testing to both authenticate the identity of the bone fragments and determine what killed Beethoven at age 56.
____________________
See Also
Lead poisoning could explain dour Beethoven - study
____________________
The Center for Beethoven Studies already owned a lock of the composer's hair, which showed that the composer suffered from lead poisoning among other ailments when he died.
One of Kaufmann's fragments, submitted for heavy metals testing at Argonne National Laboratory, showed similarly high levels of lead as the hair, Kaufmann said.
The fragments - two large pieces and 11 smaller ones - were passed on to him after his uncle's death in 1990. They were contained in a pear-shaped metal box etched with the name "Beethoven" on top.
DNA tests on the hair and bone samples that could definitively determine that the fragments belonged to Beethoven are currently underway at the University of Munster in Germany, Meredith said.
