Death Mask Of Napoleon Bonaparte.docx

The death of Napoleon Bonaparte, Cancer or Arsenic? Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile in 1821 on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean. Officially, an autopsy indicated the cause of death due to stomach cancer which led to terminal bleeding. However, the cause of Napoleon’s death has been disputed on numerous occasions, and the controversy remains to this day. Ben Weider, founder of the International Napoleonic Society in Canada, proposed that arsenic which was a deadly chemical as a reason for Napoleon’s death. This theory was reinforced by the discovery of arsenic in Napoleon’s hair from the analysis done by Pascal Kintz. Weider said that the poisoning of Napoleon must have been deliberately due to the arsenic amounts found was very high. Another similar theory, which was proposed by David Jones, an immunologist at the University of Newcastle in England, reported that the cause of Napoleon’s death was both the wallpaper and his diet. David found that the wallpaper at the building on St. Helena was painted with a substance containing arsenic which it can be released into the air due to the island’s conditions. Also, his diet that comprised of a large amounts of seafood can trigger the high level of arsenic in the blood which led to be poisoned. Another theory from Steven Karch, an American heart disease expert, believed that the cause of Napoleon’s death was the doctor’s mistake in which by giving a large amount of mercurous chloride to Napoleon which brought on the heart attack. Jean Tulard, the preeminent Napoleon historian in France, believes that cancer was one of the main causes Napoleon’s death. But, the argument still requires a lot of research and some evidences further. The last theory came from Francois de Cande-Montholon who said that the ancestors poisoned the Napoleon’s wine due to the revenge. From many theories about the cause of Napoleon’s death, it seems like the science and history nowadays have little chance to prove it. Yet, the great mystery always have another mystery on its back.