Did poisoning play a role in Napoleon’s death? A systematic review

Marchetti, Daniela; Cittadini, Francesca; Giovanni, Nadia De

doi:10.1080/15563650.2020.1843658

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…This hypothesis was finally dismissed by a study published in 2008 showing an elevated arsenic content in the hair of Napoleon during his childhood as well as in the hairs of Napoleon's son and Joséphine [10]. This study along with others excluded an arsenic poisoning with criminal intent [3,7,11,12]. In 2012, a medico-historical book challenges gastric cancer again and a chronic gastritis associated with gastrointestinal bleeding and anaemia was suggested as Napoleon's cause of death instead [3].…”

Section: Clinico-pathological Aspects Of Napoleon's Final Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Napoleon was already tachycardic before May 3 [4] which supports along with the postmortal findings his advanced malignant gastric neoplasia being the cause for the gastric bleeding and Calomel just a trigger. Napoleon's health status was decreasing since October 1820 which is in line with cancer progression and makes an "unnatural" component [12] unlikely. The macroscopic description in the two original autopsy reports does not favour chronic gastritis at all.…”

Section: Clinico-pathological Aspects Of Napoleon's Final Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

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The gastric disease of Napoleon Bonaparte: brief report for the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death on St. Helena in 1821

et al. 2021

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After the defeat at the battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte was sent into exile to the Island of St. Helena where he died 6 years later on May 5, 1821. One day after his death, Napoleon’s personal physician, Dr. Francesco Antommarchi, performed the autopsy in the presence of Napoleon’s exile companions and the British medical doctors. Two hundred years later, mysteries still surround the cause of his death and different hypotheses have been postulated in the medical and historical literature. The main reasons seem to be the presence of several autopsy reports, their interpretation and perhaps the greed for thrill and mystery. Therefore, for the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death, an international consortium of gastrointestinal pathologists assembled to analyse Napoleon’s autopsy reports based on the level of medical evidence and to investigate if the autopsy reports really do not allow a final statement.

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Section: Clinico-pathological Aspects Of Napoleon's Final Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Clinico-pathological Aspects Of Napoleon's Final Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%