Ray Bayles wrote:

>The liver stories are not considered significant... Very very few
>syphilis patients showed liver damage related to syphilis... most were
>cases where the patients also had alcohol problems and other
>significant diseases.  The signs and symptoms of syphilis related to
>liver disease were usually in patients who had tertiary syphilis of
>more than 20 years duration... and appeared in only a very few cases.
>
>I worked in Syphilis research and epidemiology from 1967 through 1976,
>so I am out of date, but I couldn't find anybody who would support the
>"liver shows very typical changings..." that you mentioned...  All do
>agree that there was nothing in the autopsy that showed Beethoven
>actually had syphilis, but it was certainly rampant in his social
>class, and in musicians of the day.

May I ask you to study the various publications by the experts, those
how know not only a lot about syphilis, but also about Beethoven's life?
Please do and then judge again.  Start with O'Shea, who devotes various
lines to those typical changings and the lack of them in Beethoven's
liver.  But he's not only one who doesn't believe at all in the syphilis
hypothesis.  On the contrary.  These days most experts agree that the
syphilis hypothesis for Beethoven should be thrown into the dustbin.
The most important counter proof is, of course, the fact that there's
simply nothing known about possible symptoms and following treatment by
whomsoever.  It's not difficult to explain his illnesses in many other ways
and the fact that it was "rampant in his social class" (which exactly, may
I ask?) and in "musicians" says nothing.  I'm living in central Amsterdam
and AIDS and other sex-related diseases are by no means rare in the city.
Is that a reason to assume that I'm also a victim? I hope not!

>We seem to agree, one way or another, that Syphilis was not the source
>of Beethoven's hearing problem.

Yes.

>I have an internationally known audiologist coming to visit me soon.  I
>hope to pick her brains and perhaps get her interested.  She has mentioned
>in the past that the medicines of the day have had a lot to do with hearing
>loss...  particularly in connection with various disease outbreaks of the
>1670 to 1850 period.

Again, before judging the medical side of the problem you and others
should study the man's life and don't stop after you've read Thayer.  True,
he's still a must and will stay a must forever.  But biographical research
didn't stop after him.  For instance, the number of Beethoven's letters and
the letters of others to Beethoven has about doubled after Thayer stopped
researching.

Joyce Maier (mail to: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask])
www.ademu.com/Beethoven