Ludwig van Beethoven may have gone deaf from lead poisoning caused by a penchant for fish and wine, Harvard scientists suggest. The composer was beset by health issues throughout his life ...

By the time Beethoven had written the Ninth, Hege said, the composer was completely deaf. “Going over these obstacles and then brimming over with optimism about this very radical idea ...

Beethoven's devastating hearing loss scarred all of his adult life, from his late 20s onwards. His deafness deepened the conflict he felt between the inner world of his imagination and the ...