Napoleon Bonaparte – the hero of the French Revolution, the only man twice as Emperor of France – may have been killed by his obsession with perfumes.
With glorious victories, Napoleon dominated nearly all of Europe for more than a decade, but ended up in sickness. Photo: Wikimedia Commons The most famous general and former Emperor in French history died on May 5, 1821 on the remote island of Saint Helena in the middle of the Atlantic, where he had to live in exile for six years after his surrender. British army. Although the autopsy results suggested that the cause of his death was stomach cancer, many conspiracy theories have emerged: from Napoleon being poisoned at the hands of his captors, or the wallpaper. in his house was soaked with arsenic. One rumor even claims that the remains of the emperor currently housed at the tomb in Paris are faked, as Napoleon fled to America. Recently, biomedical scientist Parvez Haris, of De Montfort University in Leicester (UK) has a new theory: Napoleon was poisoned by his favorite aromatic oils. Military genius has gone through many years of using perfume bluff, even a few bottles a day. 1826 painting by French painter Émile Jean-Horace Vernet depicts Napoleon on the hospital bed. Previous studies from the US have shown that essential oils can act as “endocrine disruptors”, affecting hormones, leading to growth disorders and tumors. According to Professor Haris, overexposure to these essential oils explains a lot about Napoleon’s declining health in the last years of his life, including his deadly stomach cancer. Victims of essential oils Napoleon not only was exposed to excessive amounts of essential oils through the use of Eau de Cologne (a low-essential perfume line), he also drank orange perfume regularly, and as a native of Corsica, he is fan of citrus fruits – all of which are high in essential oils. In 2017, a study by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that abuse of tea tree and lavender essential oils could cause so-called gynecomastia in boys. This is a swelling in a man’s breast tissue, and according to some reports Napoleon may have had it as well. Painting Napoleon riding a horse across the Saint-Bernard Pass in the Alps in May 1800. The above documents also show that he may suffer from hairless body disorder, and often complain of being cold, having to heat up during the summer. Both of those signs were consistent with a disruption to his endocrine system. Napoleon also suffers from epilepsy, which recent research has also shown is linked to excessive essential oils exposure. “The investigators actually missed a big, obvious problem with Napoleon’s death,” explained Professor Haris. He said he was so sure of his findings that he could give evidence. “In any court of the world”. Antommarchi Antommarchi mask of Napoleon, at a museum in Paris. Photo: DM “Many people point out that Napoleon’s hair samples, taken while he were alive, have high levels of arsenic, but this theory has now been disproved. Most people in the Napoleonic period had high levels of arsenic in their bodies because arsenic was found in the medicines and cosmetics used at that time, ”said Professor Haris. Mr. Haris continued: ‘What they missed is the huge amount of perfume that Napoleon applied to his body every day. He lives surrounded by perfume, he even sprayed it directly on his face and eyes because it was mistaken for water “. Essential oil – a double-edged sword According to Professor Haris, Napoleon was a great advocate of perfumes, which had only been commercially produced since 1792. At that time, only very rich and powerful people could afford them. One theory is that Napoleon’s remains in the tomb in Paris (pictured) are fake and Napoleon escaped to America. According to Professor Haris, prolonged overexposure to essential oils explains Napoleon’s declining health in the last years of his life. Photo: DM Although Napoleon disliked doctors and avoided their medication, he was still convinced by the health benefits of perfumes. He is said to have once said that perfumes “are protection against many diseases. “So for at least 20 years, Napoleon bathed his body in perfume, he poured perfume down from his head, and in some cases he literally soaked in that water”, Giao Haris said. “He carries many bottles of perfume even during military campaigns. The data shows that Napoleon consumes 2-3 bottles of Eau de Cologne per day, while today, people use only 1 bottle for the whole year! ”. At one point, Napoleon’s perfumer Gervais Chardin ordered 50 bottles of Eau de Cologne water per month. An invoice in 1806 shows him supplying 162 bottles of perfumes for a total of 423 francs. It is thought that Eau de Cologne reminded the French Emperor at that time of his hometown, Corsica, because one of the main ingredients of the fragrance was rosemary, which grows between cliffs and Rock land on the Mediterranean island. Map of the island of St Helena, where Napoleon was exiled, in the Indian Ocean. For Napoleon, the Eau de Cologne is a double-edged sword. Perfumes mainly contain alcohol and therefore are capable of acting as an antiseptic. This could have saved his life by protecting him from deadly bacteria or viruses while participating in campaigns in different regions of Europe as well as Asia (Syria) and Africa (Egypt). . However, it eventually killed him for being overused for decades ”, Professor Haris concludes. “There is no doubt in my opinion that Eau de Cologne is the primary poison, although co-exposure to other chemicals, including arsenic, may have contributed to poor health. and eventually death from stomach cancer ”. According to many accounts, the last years of Napoleon’s life – after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo – were of little honor to the former emperor. The Longwood House on windy St Helena Road – where Napoleon was moved in exile – is said to have fallen into disrepair, damp and musty. The Duke of Wellington (riding forward) and Field Marshal Blucher commanded the Battle of Waterloo, defeating Napoleon’s army. Photo: DM Napoleon himself had repeatedly written letters complaining about his living conditions with St Helene Island Governor Hudson Lowe, when his servants complained of colds, wet floors and poor supplies. Lowe responded by restricting Napoleon’s spending and placing constraints on the gifts he was allowed to receive from the outside world. Barry O’Meara, Napoleon’s private physician, also warned British authorities that conditions at Longwood House, where the former French Emperor lived during his exile, appeared to be detrimental to his health. Meanwhile, modern researchers have also pointed out that Napoleon’s death was due to a copper arsenite-containing dye in the wallpaper at Longwood House, which is believed to have produced the poison gas. However, deprived exile does not seem to reduce the fire in Napoleon. He spent the rest of his life writing memoirs, writing a book about the hero Julius Caesar and having dinner parties as if he weren’t a captive. Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821 after six years in exile on the mid-Atlantic island of Saint Helena.
You must log in to post a comment.