[log in to unmask] writes:

>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.

I admit I am somewhat confused by the term "expert." The back of O'shea's
book it says he graduated with a medical degree.  He writes a good book
that is more devoted to the health side but even he would have to do
research and "pass on" information that is out there.  Is he an expert
on every disease and can formulate his own opinions comparable to the
specialists today?

In his book "Was Mozart Poison" he write about Beethoven deafness
from various viewpoints.  On page 46, he says "the medical world is
divided...causing sensorineural deafness or to the thickening of
ossicles(otosclerosis)." How does he get the information that supports
otosclerosis? Who are the doctors? How can that be reconciled with
Beethoven going deaf (read very hard of hearing) thus going out of the
range of conductive loss into sensorineural range? Not too mention several
other major points to dismiss it.  I can understand mistakes made
100-200-yrs ago but not in today's climate.  My point is this:  If this is
information is to be misunderstood by general readers, how can we trust the
other info OShea wrote about? Anyway, he later writes that he believes it
was sensorineural type (I do not have the book in front of me) because of
Beethoven symptoms.  But this has led me to be more skeptical of what I
read in books and how it was acquired.  I do not believe the medical world
is divided....unless proof can be obtain that all medical specialists are
using the same data-biographries, previous medical information,etc, from
the same vantage point of today's medical understanding.  This is not that
hard; it has never been done that I can find.  Otherwise, wonder no more
that the medical world is divided....IMHO

Glenn Miller