Hair tests have mostly debunked the theory that Napoleon I died in this manner.  
Lancet editor Thomas Wakley started investigating how to save people from this fate after he was almost killed in this manner working at the Lancet's office.  The media had a field day over Mary Stannard and Jennie Cramer, two New Haven women who succumbed to this fate in 1878.  Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall died in this fashion.  In 1839, Leopold Gmelin investigated why this might happen to people who wore (*) ball gowns or lived in homes with wallpapers made from Scheele's Green.  This fate befell people in France who were given "inheritance powder".  Murder victims who died in this manner became less common following the development of the Marsh Test.  Hair tests have mostly debunked the theory that Napoleon I died in this manner.  For 10 points, name this way to die, which involves consuming a lot of an element with atomic number 33.
Lancet editor Thomas Wakley started investigating how to save people from this fate after he was almost killed in this manner working at the Lancet's office.  
arsenic poisoning [or arsenic exposure; prompt on poisoning] 