一百多年以來，關于拿破侖的死因一直爭論不休：有的說他死于胃癌，有的則說他是被毒死的。20世紀60年代，美國聯邦調查局和法國巴斯特大學以拿破侖的頭發進行檢驗分析，發現含有大量的砒霜（砷），進一步支持拿破侖被下毒的說法。而最近瑞士巴塞爾大學與蘇黎世大學醫學史研究所合作，通過對拿破侖不同時期12條褲子腰圍尺寸進行研究后斷定，拿破侖的確是死于胃癌。

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.

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.

Four were from before his exile and eight were pairs he wore during the six years he spent in exile on St Helena, including the pair he wore while dying.

The researchers also collated information from post mortems on the weights of patients who had died of stomach cancer.

They then measured the waists of healthy people to work out the correlation between that measurement and their actual weight.

This information was then used to calculate Napoleon's weight in the months leading up to his death.

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 between 11 and 15kg over the last six months of his life.

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

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

banish：流放

arsenic：砷，砒霜

collate：比較

（北京外國語大學通訊員謝麗供稿 英語點津 Annabel 編輯）