Fischer Lisa, Hann Stephan, Amory Christina, Parson Walther, Pintér Farkas, Reiter Christian
Institute of Analytical Chemistry, BOKU University, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria.
Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Muellerstraße 44, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2025 Apr 29. doi: 10.1007/s00508-025-02524-8.
Samples from three strands of Franz Schubert's hair, which are very likely to be authentic due to their well-documented origin and the chain of custody that is still valid today, were analyzed in terms of molecular biology and heavy metal content. The two hair samples presumably taken from the deceased's head showed matching molecular biological parameters, while the sample taken 35 years after his burial did not contain any usable DNA. Heavy metal analyses along the hair samples using LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) with a temporal resolution of 4-5 h revealed significantly increased mercury and lead concentrations in all samples with a decreasing tendency towards the time of death. Taking the different storage conditions into account, the patterns of metal concentrations in the samples match well, suggesting that all three samples came from the same individual. The results of our research support the suggestion, often made in the literature, that Franz Schubert underwent cutaneous treatment with mercury for syphilitic illness many months before his death.
对弗朗茨·舒伯特三缕头发的样本进行了分子生物学和重金属含量分析。由于其来源记录完备且保管链至今仍然有效，这些头发样本极有可能是真品。据推测，取自死者头部的两缕头发样本显示出匹配的分子生物学参数，而在其下葬35年后获取的样本中未含有任何可用的DNA。使用激光烧蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱仪（LA-ICP-MS）对头发样本进行重金属分析，时间分辨率为4-5小时，结果显示所有样本中的汞和铅浓度均显著增加，且随着接近死亡时间呈下降趋势。考虑到不同的储存条件，样本中的金属浓度模式匹配良好，表明所有三个样本均来自同一个人。我们的研究结果支持了文献中经常提到的观点，即弗朗茨·舒伯特在去世前数月因梅毒疾病接受了汞的皮肤治疗。
