Dead soldiers' teeth reveal diseases that doomed Napoleon's army (washingtonpost.com)

>Rather than the typhus pathogen, the team found traces of Salmonella enterica and Borrelia recurrentis, both of which can trigger symptoms such as high fever, fatigue and digestive problems.

"one that would see his army decimated by cold, hunger and disease."

2 things: A)decimated means 1 in 10, not 9 in 10. B) according to the wiki article, Napoleon had already lost 75% of his initial fighting force by the time he got to Moscow, before the withdrawal.

I am not sure an article on biology should include much history--I would certainly hope it did a better job on the biology...

Check out the perfect set of teeth on the skull of the soldier shown in the article. Amazing how human dental health has changed since then.

It is interesting that although Napoleon captured Moscow, the capital at that time was in Saint-Petersburg. Why didn't he go to the capital? This painting depicts Napoleon hopelessly waiting for a delegation from Russian Emperor with burning city in the background [1].

[1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Napoleon_in_burning_...

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Examples from 13 soldiers out of 500,000 — very representative, indeed.

Great day Borodin

We are brotherly feasts commemorating,

firmly: “Were the tribes,

Disaster threatening Russia;

Not all eh Europe there was?

Whose star led her!..

But we began to train hard pyatoyu

And chest took the pressure

tribes, obedient to the will of the proud,

And is was an unequal dispute.

And what? a disastrous escape,

kichas, they have forgotten now;

Lost Russian bayonet and snow,

Pogrebshy their glory in the desert.

Familiar feast beckons them again -

Chmielna for them Slavyanov blood;

But it will be hard for a hangover;

But guests will long dream

on close, cold Novosel,

Under the northern cereal fields!

> Salmonella enterica is a bacterium that causes enteric or paratyphoid fever and is acquired by ingesting contaminated food or water.

> Borrelia recurrentis is a bacterium that causes relapsing fever, which is transmitted by body lice.

Saved you a click

It is also interesting that Russian army officers could talk to French without a translator, because Napoleon invasion happened in the period of "westernization", started by Peter the Great. The buildings were built in a Western style, calendar was changed to European, government, army and fleet were reformed, noblemen were required to shave their traditional beards, wear western-style clothes, used French language, and danced to classical Western music in events like balls and fought duels.

We already know who brought down Napoleon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpe_(TV_series)