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Argonne researchers have confirmed that Ludwig von Beethoven's years of chronic illness may have been due to lead poisoning. The toxin also may have contributed to the 19th Century composer's death.
Chemical analysis showed unusually high levels of lead concentration in strands of Beethoven's hair, according to William Walsh, chief scientist of Health Research Institute in Naperville, Ill. Walsh, who is leading this hair study, was a chemical engineer at Argonne before leaving to pursue hair and chemical analysis research.
In September, Argonne physicists Ken Kemner (ER), Derrick Mancini (XFD) and Francesco DeCarlo (XFD) performed nondestructive beam experiments involving side-by-side testing of six Beethoven hairs, a standard hair of known lead composition and a standard "lead glass" thin film of known lead composition.
The Argonne research team found elevated lead levels that averaged about 60 parts per million (ppm) in the six Beethoven hairs, confirming earlier findings at Chicago's McCrone Research Institute. Average Americans today have 0.6 ppm of lead in their hair, according to Walsh.
Researchers performed the elemental X-ray fluorescence analysis at the APS Synchrotron Radiation Instrumentation Collaborative Access Team (SRI-CAT) 2-BM beamline. SRI-CAT focuses on developing new instrumentation and techniques for the synchrotron radiation community as well as providing beam time for experiments.
"The APS is the only machine in the country where we can perform the research we have planned," said Kemner. The group plans to use microimaging to look at the distribution of lead in and on the hair to identify the presence of any surface effects and to determine the degree of recent lead exposure.
"The hair is a timeline of exposure," Kemner said. "We'll be able to determine his exposure during the last six months of his life since that is about the amount of hair we have. We hope to determine if the lead levels were due to diet, and if there were multiple high doses or high background amounts."
"Beethoven saw physician after physician in search of a cure for his physical ailments," said Walsh. "He suffered from bad digestion, chronic abdominal pain, irritability and depression. Since he died in 1827 at age 57, there has been much speculation but no proof of the cause of his illnesses and death.
Lead poisoning could explain his lifelong illnesses. "It would also have had an impact on his personality and could have contributed to his death," said Walsh. Walsh doubts that lead poisoning caused his deafness, but research continues.
The source of the lead poisoning is unknown but could have been from drinking mineral water at spas, from dishes or wine stored in lead-lined flasks or lead crystal.
"You can learn a great deal about a person from hair analysis," said Walsh. He looked for distinctive trace-metal patterns associated with genius, irritability, glucose disorders and malabsorption and found they were not present in the Beethoven samples. He also looked for the presence of mercury, which would have suggested that Beethoven received medical treatment for syphilis, which was usually treated in that period with mercury compounds, and which some Beethoven scholars suspected he had contracted. No mercury was found.
A DNA analysis also was performed and has determined a significant portion of Beethoven's genetic makeup. This information will be used in future research studying musical genius. Another analysis indicated that Beethoven avoided opiate painkillers during his long and painful death, keeping his mind clear for his music, which he continued working on until the day he died.
Health Research Institute is a public charity based in Naperville, Ill., and operates the not-for-profit Pfeiffer Treatment Center. The center is a collaboration between medical doctors and scientists who specialize in body chemistry and treats children and adults with behavior disorders and mental illness. Argonne employees help fund the center through their Argonne Combined Appeal donations.
-- Evelyn Brown
Argonne-West's voluntary paper recycling program will begin soon, helping to reduce the amount of waste that is sent to the landfill.
Blue paper collection containers will be located by copy machines and other central areas throughout the site. Lists of paper products that can and cannot be recycled will be posted near each collection bin.
Acceptable paper products generated in offices and other areas should be taken to the most convenient paper collection container. These collection containers will be emptied periodically by Plant Services.
Paper will not be collected from radiological facilities or security-designated "Limited Areas" and "Protected Areas." Classified and sensitive unclassified information is not approved for disposal as part of the recycling program. Details will be posted near collection bins.
To request additional paper collection containers or offer suggestions for the program, call Adrian Collins (RPS) at ext. 3-7643.
Tickets go on sale this week for a performance by the Moscow String Quartet Saturday, Nov. 4, at Argonne-East.
The Leipzig String Quartet, originally scheduled to play on that date, has cancelled its tour due to illness.
The Moscow String Quartet will perform in the Advanced Photon Source Conference Center Auditorium, Building 402, at 8 p.m. The program includes pieces by Borodin, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky.
Tickets are $20 and will be sold in the Building 213 Cafeteria lobby Oct. 30-Nov. 3 from noon to 1 p.m. The auditorium box office will be open the evening of the performance at 7:30 p.m. The concert is open to the public.
The concert is sponsored by Arts at Argonne.
Special dinner
A special dinner will be served in the Argonne Guest House before the concert.
Dinner hours are from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $22.95 per person.
Reservations are requested; call (630) 739-6000.
As open enrollment nears, representatives of Argonne's health insurance providers will be available in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria Nov. 7-9 to provide information and answer employees' questions.
The laboratory's open enrollment period, allowing employees to change insurance providers if they wish, will be held Nov. 6-22.
Argonne employees donated close to eleven hundred items during October's Argonne Combined Appeal (ACA) food drive.
The beneficiary was Downers Grove area FISH, Inc., a volunteer-driven charitable organization providing the region's needy with food, clothing, transportation and emergency services.
More than eight hundred food items and more than 200 non-food items were collected.
"We'd like to thank everyone for their donations," said Duane Bradley, of FISH, Inc, "Everything really helps out."
For those in need of emergency aid, FISH volunteers maintain a food and clothing center, and provide transportation to doctor visits. FISH serves the villages of Woodridge, Westmont, Darien, Lisle and Downers Grove.
Representatives of nuclear plants, utilities and nuclear regulatory agencies from 11 foreign countries participated in a training course at Argonne-East aimed at improving the operational safety in nuclear power plants in the participants' home organizations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) course, "Advances in Monitoring, Assessment, and Enhancement of Operational Safety of Nuclear Power Plants," was directed by Joseph Braun (RAE), and coordinated by Linda Davenport (DEP).
Course lecturers from nuclear organizations in the U.S. and Europe included members of nuclear industry organizations, private consultants, nuclear regulators and representatives from utilities companies. The course's 17 students came from Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine. Three observers of the course are from Sweden and Canada.
Features of the course were presentations about safety management, safety assessment, safety enhancement and monitoring. In addition to the lectures, the participants followed a "syndicate" work program in which they were able to apply what they learned in the course to a practical situation in their home country.
As a case study for the course, the group visited the Dresden Power Plant, which has improved its safety performance and plant physical condition over the past several years.
Argonne has been a part of international training programs since the 1950s, and since 1976, has hosted more than 100 international courses with over 2,900 students.
College students from across the country will gather at Argonne-East Nov. 3-4 to present their research at the 11th annual Argonne Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics.
The conference will be divided into several concurrent sessions, each devoted to a particular research discipline. Topics will include analytical chemistry, astrophysics and geophysics, biochemistry, cell biology, computer science, condensed matter physics, engineering, environmental science, general biology, general physics, genetics, inorganic and organic chemistry, mathematics, molecular biology, nuclear and atomic physics, organometallic chemistry and spectroscopy.
"The major goal of the symposium is to provide a forum for undergraduates to present their research findings to their peers and scientific staff," said conference chair Linda Phaire-Washington, senior program leader in the Division of Educational Programs.
Argonne scientists are also involved as leaders of the symposium, often serving as session chairs. "We encourage participation among Argonne scientists," said Phaire-Washington. More than 150 students will make oral presentations, giving Argonne researchers an opportunity to identify potential summer interns.
The symposium's keynote speaker will be Rick Stevens, Mathematics and Computer Science Division director and leader of Argonne's Futures Lab. His address will be titled "Technology To Enable Group-To-Group Collaborations Via The Grid."
The conference is sponsored by Argonne, the Illinois Alliance for Minority Participation, Argonne's Women in Science and Technology (WIST) and Sigma Xi. Additional program information is available online.
A representative from CIGNA will be available for appointments at Argonne-East Thursday, Nov. 16, from 9:20 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Employees who have a medical claim issue or questions about how the medical claim unit operates can call for an appointment. To schedule a meeting with the representative, call Fran Perri (HR) at ext. 2-2989.
Electronics and Computing Technologies will offer a variety of computer software training classes at Argonne-East in November.
Full class descriptions and schedules are available online. For more information about enrollment procedures, contact Diane Cavazos (ECT) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos@anl.gov.
Unless otherwise specified, classes will be held in Building 221, Room A142 and are limited to 10 participants.
Intermediate Word 2000
(ECT374) -- Monday, Nov. 6, 8:30 a.m. _ 4:30 p.m. Cost: $195.
Intermediate Excel 2000
(ECT375) -- Tuesday, Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m. _ 4:30 p.m. Cost: $195.
Intermediate Access
Version 2000 (ECT376) -- Wednesday, Nov. 8, 8:30 a.m. _ 4:30 p.m. Cost:
$195. Class size limited to eight.
Advanced PowerPoint 2000
(ECT382) -- Friday, Nov. 10, 1:30 p.m. _ 4:30 p.m. Cost: $135.
Beginning Unix (ECT564)
-- First session: Tuesday, Nov. 14, 9 a.m. - noon. Second Session:
Thursday, Nov. 16, 9 a.m. - noon. Cost: $245.
The Waubonsie Astronomical Society (WAS) will hold an open house for Argonne, U.S. Department of Energy and University of Chicago employees at the Waubonsie Valley High School Planetarium in Aurora.
The open house will be held Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. The planetarium is at the northwest corner of Ogden Ave. (Rt. 34) and Eola Road, with access from Eola Road.
WAS is a group of adults who share an interest in astronomy and meet monthly during the school year in the high school planetarium.
For more information, contact Jeff Dooling (IPNS) at ext. 2-1196.
Daylight-saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29.
Clocks should be set back one hour.
Dorothy A. Bajt, a retired senior secretary with 24 years of service in the High Energy Physics Division, died Aug. 31. Her daughter, Betsy Knox, survives her.
Amerigo J. Baldazzi, a retired security lieutenant with 31 years of service in the Security Division, died Aug. 10. His son, Lawrence, and daughters, Joyce Burke and Mary Lou Stimac, survive him.
Esther Bartlett, a retired library assistant with 25 years of service in the Technical Information Services Division, died Sept. 2. Her husband, Milton, survives her.
Steven Halverson, a retired electronic engineer with 22 years of service in the Electronics Division, died July 8. His wife, Joan, survives him.
James W. Harrison, a retired executive assistant with 35 years of service in the Biological and Medical Division, died Aug. 25. His wife, Gladys, survives him.
George M. Helwig, a retired instrument maker with 11 years of service in Central Shops, died Sept. 16. His wife, Irene, survives him.
Anthony A. Hyla, a retired stock handler with 21 years of service in the Materials Services Division, died Aug. 13. His sister, Bernice Brenick, survives him.
William F. Murphy, a retired metallurgist with 34 years of service in the Materials Science Division, died Aug. 18. His wife, Elaine, survives him.
Robert F. Nelson, a retired engineer assistant with 40 years of service in the Chemistry Division, died Sept. 24. His daughter, Mary Wildrick, survives him.
Eva M. Wilson, a retired accountant with 30 years of service in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, died Aug. 30. Her daughter and son survive her.
Louis Zimanek, a retired maintenance mechanic with 19 years of service in the Plant Facilities and Services Division, died Aug. 22. His wife, Sophie, survives him.
