来源：《新科学家》
原文刊登日期：2023年3月22日
Genetic analysis of Ludwig van Beethoven’s hair has revealed that the composer had a high genetic risk for liver disease, which could have contributed to his death. It has also overturned a previous idea about him having had lead poisoning, but uncovered no explanation for why he lost his hearing.
对路德维希·范·贝多芬头发的基因分析显示，这位作曲家有很高的肝病遗传风险，这可能是他死亡的原因之一。这也推翻了之前关于他铅中毒的说法，但没有发现他失去听力的原因。
Tristan Begg at the University of Cambridge and his colleagues have analysed the DNA of eight locks of hair purported to come from Beethoven’s head to see if it could explain the composer’s health issues.
剑桥大学的特里斯坦·贝格和他的同事分析了据称来自贝多芬头部的八缕头发的DNA，看看这是否可以解释这位作曲家的健康问题。
Beethoven, born in 1770, started losing his hearing in his mid-20s, as he started to grow in fame. He was almost completely deaf by his mid-40s and experienced severe gastrointestinal issues during his life. He died in 1827, aged 56. A post-mortem examination at the time revealed that he had severe liver damage.
贝多芬出生于1770年，在他20多岁的时候，随着他的名气越来越大，他的听力开始下降。他在40多岁时几乎完全失聪，一生中经历了严重的肠胃问题。他于1827年去世，享年56岁。当时的尸检显示，他有严重的肝损伤。
The researchers’ first task was making sure the hair actually came from Beethoven. Locks of hair were a typical memento in the Victorian era, says Begg, and there are dozens of locks purported to be Beethoven’s around the world.
研究人员的第一个任务是确保头发真的来自贝多芬。贝格说，在维多利亚时代，头发是一种典型的纪念品，世界上有几十把据称是贝多芬的头发。
They therefore examined the paperwork for each lock and used DNA analysis to determine the age of the samples. “For DNA samples from the last few centuries, you’ll tend to see the accumulation of damage patterns,” says Begg. “You want to see these patterns consistent with the documented age of the samples.”
因此，他们检查了每缕头发的档案，并使用DNA分析来确定样本的年代。“对于过去几个世纪的DNA样本，你往往会看到损伤模式的累积，”贝格说。“你希望看到这些模式与样本的记录年代一致。”
Then they compared the DNA of the eight locks. The combination of these methods led them to conclude that five of them were from Beethoven. “I think we are able to authenticate these five locks of hair with great confidence,” says Begg.
然后他们比较了八缕头发的DNA。综合这些方法，他们得出结论，其中有5缕头发来自贝多芬。贝格说：“我认为我们能够非常有信心地鉴定这五绺头发为真。”
Examining the DNA data, the researchers found that the composer had a high genetic risk for liver disease. Begg says this risk would be relatively benign for most people, but Beethoven’s reportedly high alcohol consumption would have increased the likelihood that he developed the condition. Begg says this finding, combined with the autopsy report, suggests that cirrhosis of the liver, caused by liver disease, could have led to Beethoven’s death.
通过检查DNA数据，研究人员发现这位作曲家患有肝病的遗传风险很高。贝格说，这种风险对大多数人来说相对温和，但据报道，贝多芬的高饮酒量会增加他患上肝病的可能性。贝格说，这一发现与尸检报告相结合，表明由肝病引起的肝硬化可能是导致贝多芬死亡的原因。
The team also found evidence that Beethoven had a hepatitis B infection in the best-preserved lock of hair, which is likely to have been cut off near the end of his life. This virus can also cause liver damage.
研究小组还在贝多芬保存最完好的一绺头发中发现了感染乙肝的证据，这绺头发很可能是在他生命接近结束时被剪掉的。乙肝病毒也会导致肝脏损伤。
But the researchers found no genetic factor linked to the composer’s gastrointestinal problems or deafness. Begg isn’t surprised when it comes to the latter. “Late-onset forms of hearing loss are rarely caused by a single gene,” he says.
但研究人员没有发现与这位作曲家的肠胃问题或耳聋有关的遗传因素。对于后者，贝格并不感到惊讶。“晚发性听力损失很少是由单一基因引起的，”他说。
“This kind of genetic study of a famous individual is fascinating,” says Layla Renshaw at Kingston University, UK, and it satisfies a similar curiosity to reading their letters or diaries. Previous attempts to sequence Beethoven’s DNA from hair samples suggested he had lead poisoning, but this study reveals that the earlier work was done on hair from a woman. “Given this background, there is a good case ethically for using genetic analysis to dispel previous misconceptions or speculation,” says Renshaw.
英国金斯顿大学的蕾拉·伦肖说：“这种对名人基因的研究很吸引人。”这满足了人们阅读名人信件或日记的类似好奇心。之前从头发样本中提取贝多芬DNA序列的尝试表明他患有铅中毒，但这项研究表明，之前的研究实际是在一名女性头发上进行的。“这种背景下，在伦理上有充分的理由使用基因分析来消除以前的误解或猜测，”伦肖说。