TY - JOUR
T1 - The medical mystery of Napoleon bonaparte
T2 - An interdisciplinary exposé
AU - Lugli, Alessandro
AU - Clemenza, Massimiliano
AU - Corso, Philip E.
AU - Di Costanzo, Jacques
AU - Dirnhofer, Richard
AU - Fiorini, Ettore
AU - Herborg, Costanza
AU - Hindmarsh, John Thomas
AU - Orvini, Edoardo
AU - Piazzoli, Adalberto
AU - Previtali, Ezio
AU - Santagostino, Angela
AU - Sonnenberg, Amnon
AU - Genta, Robert M.
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 to 1821) is one of the most studied historical figures in European history. Not surprisingly, amongst the many mysteries still surrounding his person is the cause of his death, and particularly the suspicion that he was poisoned, continue to intrigue medical historians. After the defeat of the Napoleonic Army at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the small island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died 6 years later. Although his personal physician, Dr François Carlo Antommarchi, stated in his autopsy report that stomach cancer was the cause of death, this diagnosis was challenged in 1961 by the finding of an elevated arsenic concentration in one of Napoleon's hair samples. At that time it was suggested that Napoleon had been poisoned by one of his companions in exile who was allegedly supported by the British Government. Since then Napoleon's cause of death continues to be a topic of debate. The aim of this review is to use a multidisciplinary approach to provide a systematic and critical assessment of Napoleon's cause of death.
AB - Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 to 1821) is one of the most studied historical figures in European history. Not surprisingly, amongst the many mysteries still surrounding his person is the cause of his death, and particularly the suspicion that he was poisoned, continue to intrigue medical historians. After the defeat of the Napoleonic Army at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the small island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, where he died 6 years later. Although his personal physician, Dr François Carlo Antommarchi, stated in his autopsy report that stomach cancer was the cause of death, this diagnosis was challenged in 1961 by the finding of an elevated arsenic concentration in one of Napoleon's hair samples. At that time it was suggested that Napoleon had been poisoned by one of his companions in exile who was allegedly supported by the British Government. Since then Napoleon's cause of death continues to be a topic of debate. The aim of this review is to use a multidisciplinary approach to provide a systematic and critical assessment of Napoleon's cause of death.
KW - Napoleon Bonaparte gastric cancer
KW - arsenic poisoning
KW - interdisciplinary taskforce
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79952132575&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79952132575&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/PAP.0b013e31820ca329
DO - 10.1097/PAP.0b013e31820ca329
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21326012
AN - SCOPUS:79952132575
SN - 1072-4109
VL - 18
SP - 152
EP - 158
JO - Advances in anatomic pathology
JF - Advances in anatomic pathology
IS - 2
ER -