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A study of Napoleon Bonaparte's trousers could put an end to the theory that the French Emperor was poisoned.
Napoleon died aged 52 on St Helena in the south Atlantic where he had been banished after his defeat at Waterloo.

His post mortem showed he died of stomach cancer, but it has been suggested arsenic poisoning or over-zealous treatment was to blame.

Now Swiss researchers say his trousers show he lost weight prior his death, confirming he had cancer.

We are sure that the autopsy report speaks clearly in favour of gastric [stomach] cancer

Alessandro Lugli, University Hospital Basel

The research, by scientists from the anatomical pathology department of the University Hospital in Basel and the Institute of Medical History at the University of Zurich, looked at 12 pairs of Napoleon's trousers which he wore during the six years he lived in exile.

They also measured the waists, and weighed, living stomach cancer patients.

The largest pair of trousers Napoleon wore had a waist measurement of 110cm; those he wore just before his death measured 98cm.

This, they say, shows he lost a significant amount of weight - as did the living patients, who lost between 11 and 15kg over the six months they were studied.

Enemas

The Swiss team say the presence of arsenic in Napoleon's hair, the source of the poisoning theory, was linked to this enthusiasm for wine.

At the time, it was the custom of winemakers to dry their casks and basins with arsenic.

Dr Alessandro Lugli, who carried out the study which appeared in the American Review of Human Pathology, told the BBC News website he thought theories about alternative explanations for Napoleon's death would continue to be put forward.

But he said: "We are sure that the autopsy report speaks clearly in favour of gastric [stomach] cancer."

The demise of the French Emperor has provoked numerous theories.

Last year, researchers from the San Francisco Medical Examiner's Department said in New Scientist magazine that it was regular doses of antimony potassium tartrate, or tartar emetic a poisonous colourless salt which was used to make him vomit, that killed him.

He was also given regular enemas.

The researchers, led by forensic pathologist Steven Karch, say this would have caused a serious potassium deficiency, which can lead to a potentially fatal heart condition called Torsades de Pointes in which rapid heartbeats disrupt blood flow to the brain.

Dr Karch told BBC News Online at the time that he studied similar modern cases.

He said: "There is a very strong argument for this - but it's not as sexy as the idea that he was murdered.

"The arsenic wasn't killing him - his doctors did him in!"

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SEE ALSO:
Napoleon 'killed by his doctors'
22 Jul 04 | Health
Napoleon 'may have been poisoned'
01 Jun 01 | Europe
British 'cleared' of Napoleon's murder
29 Oct 02 | Sci/Tech

RELATED BBC LINKS:
Napoleon Bonaparte - profile

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
New Scientist
University of Sheffield - Department of Forensic Pathology
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