A HORSE CRAZED WITH TEA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 3639, 9 December 1879, Page 4

A HORSE CRAZED WITH TEA.

lord William Beresford, in addition to his distinction as a gallant and chivalrous soldier, will bo distinguished in history as the owner of a horso which was po'soncd by tea. The Veterinary Journal eports the " case," and. characterises it as unparalleled in the annuls of veterinary or even human toxicology." A Btaff cook having left some pouuds of tea ia a sack, a Kaffir groom filled it with corn, find serving out the contents to a troop of horses, gave Lord William Hereford's charger the bulk of the tea, which was eaten greedily, and produced tho most startling results. Tlio animal plunged and kicked, and ran backwards, at interval* galloping madly around, finally falling into a donga, where it lay dashing its h bad on the rocks, and was despatched by an asßegni thrust' through the heart. The post mortem appearances indicated extreme cerebral congestion. The occurrence as an uccidect is probably unique. The phenomena exhibited were, however, characteristic of the action of caffeine — namely, cerebral excite« ment, with partial loss of sensibility, convuleions, nnd death. Tho sensory nerve 3 aro paralysed without any corresponding paralysis of tho motor nerves, so that the muscular action, proceeds from ideation and volition, remains unaffected. The reversal of limb movements, which produce running backwards in quadrupeds, is a common symptom of brain disturbance, frequently witnessed, for example, in the caso of puppies with unolosed crania. The caso is one of great 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.— Lancet.