After lunch, he retired to the tower from which he loved to view Moscow, and when he came down, he immediately felt bad. His illness was accompanied by convulsions (“madness”), and hemorrhage from the nose and ears, followed by death with a strong change in the body (“blackened into coal”). By three o’clock in the afternoon Boris was no longer alive. Margeret says that he died of apoplexy (295). However, with apoplexy, the absence of consciousness occurs suddenly, whereas with poisoning, consciousness is eclipsed gradually (Practical. Toksikol. Berbera, 95). Boris managed to order his tonsure, and when asked about the fate of Russia, he answered: “as God and the zemstvo wish” (Massa, 136; Te. Zhiieez, Uouade ashepiegi. ip Koesea, Noshi. 1609, 25). For information on hemorrhage, see Dm’s letter. The impostor to Mniszko, in Nemtsevich, II, 530; Karamz. XI, note. 304).
Boris was distinguished by his portliness, being short in stature, and suffered from gout, which prevented him from walking (Mass, 137).
These data must be kept in mind when explaining the manner of Boris's death.
catfish and mouth (Rukop. Filar. 26; Nikon. let. 132; Let. about the rebellion. 177; New. let. 114; the last three speak only of bleeding “from the nose”), fever (Zholkevsky), the degree of duration of the disease (8 - 14 days), and, if “The Tale of Skopin* was not rich in poetic colors, to the detriment of the historical presentation, we could add a few more features to complement these data).
All that can be said about these signs is that they do not contradict certain types of poisoning (Berber, Practical Toxicol. 33, 55, 77-78). Without a doubt, some of the then existing funds have disappeared forever for the researcher. It is known, however, that the strongest and most common poisons in the Middle Ages and in the 16th and 17th centuries usually included arsenic, some symptoms of poisoning with which also correspond to those given by us (including Eriziachis, as one of the phenomena, and the very duration of the disease, followed by death). There are even examples that come close to the present (Tapiei, Most of the most common ones, Heteroizoshietepi, Ragiz, 1867, 316-426). For malicious poisonings, it is especially convenient due to its almost absence of taste and smell and its effect in small doses. Its use was well known both in the West and in the East. It is also remarkable that in Italy, in the age of the greatest prevalence of such crimes, they were often committed at an open table, with the help of wine and, in case of death, the fact itself was given the same explanation as we find in the present example in the Notes of Zolkiewski (Schlosser, XI, 169) 2).