Of course, there is that other widely held theory that Beethoven suffered from syphilus, which in it’s tertiary stage can cause all sorts of neurological and physical degeneration. Beethoven, like Schubert, frequently visited prostitutes, which put them at high risk for contracting this infection. Schubert’s was diagnosed and treated with mercury, but he died shortly after being one of Beethoven’s pallbearers.
A. John Mardinly, Ph.D., P.E. The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters Francisco Goya > On Nov 11, 2017, at 9:35 PM, howard posner <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On Nov 11, 2017, at 10:44 AM, John Mardinly <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Beethoven’s deafness was caused by “inner ear” problems, sometimes called >> labyrinthitis, a form of nerve deafness, not mechanical problems, such as >> damage to the eardrum or the small bones of the inner ear. As such, it is >> unlikely that the bone conduction would have been any use to him. > > To be fair, there’s no way of knowing exactly what caused his deafness. > Otosclerosis, an ossification of the inner ear parts, is sometimes cited. I > imagine bone conduction wouldn’t help that either. > > He also had cranial nerves that were compressed by thick skull bones, a > finding consistent with Paget’s disease, which can cause deafness. > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.cs.dartmouth.edu_-7Ewbc_lute-2Dadmin_index.html&d=DwIFaQ&c=l45AxH-kUV29SRQusp9vYR0n1GycN4_2jInuKy6zbqQ&r=VLPJ8OE-c_C6joGeE1ftlvxMmQPq9N6mpKZONBRt90E&m=mHP-aAGRoYdzVtLu9iMzyrfm-_Y4HzTPpmM-9_Riiq4&s=d9iW8v2UmuAF8h6QTy0cpRKxtMZi0oMeIize-E0HseM&e=
