198 
SUPPOSED POISONING BY STRYCHNIA. 
being ridden about six weeks they were castrated, and when 
well enough to travel were sent home to be turned out. 
The chestnut was taken up, and sent again to him imme- 
diately after the last Doncaster Races for the purpose of 
being got into condition, and hunted a little. He is still 
here, says Mr. Cook, in work, and I have often noticed his 
forward mouth — his tusks are through, and are in a very forward 
state of development, particularly those in the lower jaw, and 
he has jive permanent incisor teeth above and below ; con- 
sequently, many persons would say he was rising Jive years old , 
instead of which he is only rising four years old. He has, on 
the near side, one sucking tooth, above and below. He is 
well furnished, and not at all coltish in appearance. 
Mr. Cook adds that he has seen many four-year-old horses 
with s five-year-old mouths/ which he has known from the 
time they were foaled, but that he never before saw a three- 
year-old colt with all his incisors permanent excepting two. 
CASES OF SUPPOSED POISONING BY STRYCHNIA. 
We are informed by Mr. Peech, M.R.C.V.S., Wentworth, 
that a Mr. Spalton, farmer, Denaby, near Swinton, Yorkshire, 
has sustained a heavy loss in the death of two valuable horses 
under circumstances of a very suspicious character. One, 
a brown colt, was taken ill on the 15th ult., and the other, a 
gray colt, on the day following. The gray colt died in a few 
hours in violent convulsions, but the brown colt lingered 
until early on the following Saturday morning, having suffered 
very severely. Every effort to afford relief proved useless. Mr. 
Peech at the outset recognised symptoms of poisoning, and 
from the indications when the animals were suffering, and also 
the appearances of their bodies after death, there could be 
no doubt that such was the case. The symptoms were 
analogous to those produced by strychnia, viz., tetanic 
spasms, jerking of the extremities, foaming at the mouth, an 
abundant flow of saliva, disturbed respiration, excited coun- 
tenance, and general convulsions. The sufferings of the 
gray colt during the convulsions are described as being 
frightful to witness. On examining the bodies after death, 
there was an entire absence of all organic disease, clearly 
showing that some violent agent had been employed. 
