A HORSE POISONED BY TEA.

South Canterbury Times, Volume XV, Issue 2072, 12 November 1879, Page 2

A HORSE POISONED BY TEA.

The “Lancet” remarks that Lord William Beresford, in addition to his distinction as a gallant and chivalrous soldier, was well distinguished in history as the owner of a horse which was poisoned by tea. The “ Yeterinary Journal ” reports the “ case.” and characterises it as “ unparalleled in the annals of veterinary or even human toxicology.” A staff cook haring left some pounds of tea in a sack, a Kaffir groom filled it with corn, and serving out the contents to a troop of horses gave Lord William Beresford’s charger the bulk of the tea, which was eaten greedily, and produced the most startling results. The animal plunged and kicked, and ran backwards, at intervals galloping madly around, finally falling into a donga, where it lay dashing its head on the rocks, and was dispatched by an assegai thrust through the heart. The post-mortem appearances indicated extreme cerebral congestion. The occurrence as an accident is probably unique. The phenomena exhibited were, however, characteristic of the action of caffeine—namely, cerebral excitement, with partial loss of sensibility, convulsions, and death. The sensory nerves are paralysed without any corresponding paralysis of the other nerves, so that the muscular action, which proceeds from ideation and volition, remains unaffected. Tne reversal of limb movements, which produces running backwards in quadrupeds, is a common symptom of brain disturbance, frequently witnessed, for example in the case of puppies with unclosed crania. The case is one of the greatest interest, and may help to throw light on the action of tea, which has not been sufficiently studied, and must be still classed as unexplained.