Comments on: Napoleon was not poisoned – at least not any more than everyone else

By: METRO POLICE

METRO POLICE — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:42:20 +0000

HELLO, THIS IMAGE SHOULD NOT BE DONE LIKE THIS.
PLEASE FOLLOW THE LOW.
PLEASE REMOVE THIS IMAGE.

THANK YOU!!!

By: andrew

andrew — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:07:04 +0000

U guys should give me a call

By: Burnspeed

Burnspeed — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:04:35 +0000

#6: Actually I do my parents saved some hair from my first haircut in my baby book. You would be surprised how many people do that.

By: smartalix

smartalix — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:46:51 +0000

We’re not all that clean ourselves:

pollution in the human body

By: Joshua

Joshua — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:30:14 +0000

It was quite common in Italian families up until just recently to keep a lock of each childs hair or more. And Napoleon was Italian folks.
In fact, it was common all over Europe of the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th century’s.

Arsenic was used much more extensively in those days than now. And they didn’t have water purifction plants. Most French even in the 20th century diluted water with red wine which has high arsenic levels from the wines that are still avalable from those years.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:01:34 +0000

#11
Indeed. 18th century medical techniques are a marvel are they not? Anyone that talks about the “good ole’ days” generally doesn’t know much about them. It is also possible that there is no single cause. A combination of factors such as those you mentioned might result in the high arsenic levels. There is something to the argument of not worrying about living 50 years if the average person does not live 30.

By: Miguel Correia

Miguel Correia — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:59:06 +0000

Cool Suzuki!

By: Mister Catshit

Mister Catshit — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:49:06 +0000

#8, Thomas,

Good point as wine was quite popular.

Also, due to the average life expectancy, most people would die anyway before too long. If not of arsenic, mercury, or lead poisoning, then possibly of some other cumulative effects. Also various food poisonings and diseases were more than common. It would be very difficult to isolate one element and pin point it as a specific danger 200 years ago.

When the favored treatments included mercury tinctures and bleeding the patient, who really knew the cause of most deaths.

By: WmDE

WmDE — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:23:04 +0000

Everyone call your mother. Ask her if she has a sample of your hair from when you were a boy. If there are any women here, you can do that too except that you were probably a girl.

By: god

god — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:19:27 +0000

Gig – have you spent your entire life living in a cloister or some other closet? Real people often save samples from their kids’ childhood: like the first haircut or styling. Not at all unusual.

Or were you born bald?

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:18:39 +0000

#5
I’d agree that it is likely to be water or food supply or items related to that (think lead and Roman dinnerware). I would also guess that lifestyle has a part. If I had to throw out a guess it would be the red wine which can contain quite a bit of arsenic.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 23:12:19 +0000

It is certainly possible if someone had kept a childhood blanket or set of clothes like a uniform. Perhaps a parent or relative stuffed some of his childhood paraphernalia in a box and forgot about it. I know that my parents have all kinds of crazy stuff from my childhood and it wouldn’t surprise me, even in the modern era where items are washed far more frequently, if someone were able to find one of my childhood hairs in all of the clutter my folks have kept.

By: GigG

GigG — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:59:06 +0000

#3 Ok then let’s say you become Emperor next week. Do you think there are some of your childhood hair samples laying around?

Now I believe there is someone who thinks they have hair samples from when he was a boy but come on.

By: moss

moss — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:56:27 +0000

Been discussing this with peers and it’s much more likely arsenic was commonly present in water or specific foods. Might even had to do with something as simple as milling grain.

This advance in non-destructive testing will encourage all sorts of analysis, spiraling out from this example. Should be interesting.

By: Adam Johnston

Adam Johnston — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:56:25 +0000

Napoleon had green wall paper and the green dye was arsenic based. The more paranoid he got the more he closed himself up in his bedroom. The room got damp and moldy. The reducing potential of the mold vaporized arsenic from the wall paper and it is was finished him off.