Napoleon Bonaparte
As has been noted, Napoleon was never far from a supply of licorice, which he enjoyed through the day, almost continuously. In fact, there were three things with which the Emperor was constantly equipped, his licorice, his snuff box, and his opium. The first two were there for his consumption throughout the trials and tribulations of his day. The third was there for emergencies. Napoleon wore a vial containing what could have been a fatal dose of opium around his neck for most of his career, believing suicide to be preferable to a capture by vengeful enemies, especially the Russians.
Interestingly, the first two may have contributed to his death on St. Helena from stomach cancer while the opium was once resorted to, but failed to kill him. Napoleon often emptied his snuff box several times per day, always to be instantly refilled, the same as his licorice supply. In addition to eating the licorice from his candy box, Napoleon enjoyed a beverage made from it with water, taken as a sort of tea.
Napoleon was described as having fine, healthy teeth for most of his life, not developing dental problems until the days of his second exile in British custody on St. Helena. He carried a toothbrush with him at all times, and brushed his teeth several times a day, even while campaigning across Europe. Despite the many paintings which give the idea that Napoleon campaigned on horseback, in fact he usually rode in his carriage while travelling with his armies, well equipped with the items he wanted at hand. Especially later in his career, Napoleon had problems with hemorrhoids which prevented him spending long periods of time in the saddle.
Napoleon grew more and more unstable following the defeat in Russia, although his military skills enjoyed a resurgence as he fought the campaigns of 1813 and 1814. Eventually brought to heel following the Battle of Nations near Leipzig, Napoleon attempted suicide via his opium vial, but either the dosage was too small or it had lost potency over time, and though he became ill, he survived to enter exile at Elba, escape, lose the Battle of Waterloo, and return to exile at St. Helena. It was there that his teeth and gums began to give him trouble, while a prisoner of the British.
Although the world was told that Napoleon died of a stomach cancer, he had been undergoing treatment for scurvy and for dental problems. The doctors treating him had prescribed both mercury and calomel, and years later examinations of his medical records and hair samples indicated the possibility of arsenic poisoning. Arsenic was present in the licorice of Napoleon’s day, so maybe the glass of licorice tea which was all the Emperor would drink in his last days did more to kill him than the opium he ingested years before.
