10 Things You Didn't Know About Napoleon
8. He Used Arsenic To Fight Baldness
This era in history is notorious for its remedies, lethal corner cutting and ‘miracle’ chemical concoctions. From British bakers putting chalk in bread to save on flour, to mercury being used in medicine and the invention of gaslit bathtubs, it’s astonishing that anyone survived the 1800s.
But arsenic, (the most toxic natural substance known) was a favourite in the era for medicine, cosmetics and paint. It was a handy multi-use chemical which was used by none other than Napoleon himself to prevent baldness.
Upon Napoleon’s death in 1821, the surgeon who performed the autopsy kept a lock of Napoleon’s hair as a souvenir. When it was scientifically examined several years later traces of the toxic element were discovered, which was present in both his anti-balding agent and the paint in his house on St. Helena, his island of exile. But, his contact with arsenic did not cause his death, as he instead died of stomach cancer which was also the cause of his father's death.