Anton Georg Braunhofer 1773 - 1846

Anton Georg Braunhofer 1773 - 1846 (1780 - 1845) MD Vienna 1816, was an Austrian orthodox physician and Professor of Biology at the University of Vienna, who converted to homeopathy.

Ignaz Schuppanzigh recommended homeopath Anton Braunhofer to Ludwig von Beethoven because their mutual friend Nikolaus Zmeskall had been cured of his gout by homeopathy.

Braunhofer was the homeopathic physician of Ludwig von Beethoven between 1820 and 1826, advising him to stop drinking alcoh0l, and treating him with the homeopathic remedy china officinalis.

Ludwig von Beethoven moved to Baden, 300 miles away from Vienna, and he entreated Braunhofer to travel there to treat him, which Braunhofer refused - it was simply too far. However, Ludwig von Beethoven always consulted Braunhofer when he was in Vienna, but he never stopped drinking.

Ludwig von Beethoven greatly appreciated Braunhofer, and he wrote Canon in four parts in C Major Doktor, sperrt dad Tor dem Tod and Cannon in two parts in C Major Ich war hier, Doktor _and Abendlied unterm gestirnten Himmel_, which he dedicated to Braunhofer.

Anton Braunhofer [1773-1846] - Prof. at U. of Vienna. Follower of Dr. Samuel Hannemann’s homeopathic treatments. Treated Beethoven in 1825 & again during final illness in 1827.

Braunhofer showed even less patience with the obstinacy of his patient, and that he was so blunt in his instructions that Beethoven was somewhat awed, the consequence of which was that the treatment showed success.

Dr. Braunhofer did not want to “burden” his patient with medications, but rather prescribed a strict diet: “No wine, no coffee; no spices of any kind. I’ll arrange matters with the cook. Then I will guarantee you full recovery which means a lot to me, understandably, as your admirer and friend. A sickness does not disappear in a day.  I shall not trouble you much longer with medicine, but you must adhere to the diet, you’ll not starve on it”.

Braunhofer was encouraged when the patient’s fever receded, and Karl reminded his uncle that even Dr. Staudenheim had forbidden the drinking of alcoholic beverages.

In the conversation book of that time, Braunhofer further noted: “You must do some work in the daytime so that you can sleep at night.  If you want to get entirely well and live a long time, you must live according to nature.  You are very liable to inflammatory attacks and were close to a severe attack of inflammation of the bowels; the predisposition is still in your body. I will give you a powder

• I’ll wager that if you take a drink of spirits, you’ll be lying weak and exhausted on your back in a few hours.

Braunhofer encouraged Ludwig von Beethoven and urged him to be calm and patient. In dry weather, he should go for walks, but even after moving to Baden, he should not yet take any baths as long as the weather remained inclement and as long as the symptoms of his illness still prevailed: “When you have been in Baden for awhile, it will be better, and should there be a recurrence, let me know. When are you going? Do not forget the bit of music, just something unimportant, what matters is that it is your handwriting. You should be striving to get to the country soon. It will give you fresh air, the walks here are too fatiguing. In the country you can have natural milk” … at the beginning of May, Ludwig von Beethoven’s condition had improved enough so that he could move to Baden on May 7th.

Braunhofer wrote Naturwissenschaftliche Vorbegriffe für Naturgeschichte, nebst dem präparativen Theile der oryktognostischen Mineralogie,

Of interest:

Maria Anna **Braunhofer **1748 - 1819 (1765 - 1803) was a soprano opera singer, trained in Vienna, who sang in many of Mozart’s operas.

Maria was the daughter of F J Braunhoferja, organist in Mondsee. Maria undertook singing studies in Venice (1761-64) and was recruited to salzburšekm house.