444 
THE POISONING OF SEVEN HORSES BY THE 
ARSENIATE OF POTASH. 
Communicated to the Iloyal Academy of Medicine, 
By M. Bouley, Jun., F.S., Paris, 
On the 9th of October, 1834, some horses belonging to M. 
Lamy were hired to convey certain goods to be deposited at his 
warehouse for one night, and then forwarded to their ultimate 
destination. These goods were contained in four packages, 
three of which were placed on the floor of the stable, and the 
fourth on an open cask filled with corn for the horses. 
At five o’clock on the following morning this packet was 
taken off the barrel, without its being perceived that the bottom 
of it was torn, and oats were given to seven horses that were in 
the stable. An hour afterwards, the corn for these horses during 
the day was placed in their respective nose-bags (sackets), 
without its being observed that any thing was mixed with it; 
and which may be easily conceived to have been the case in a 
stable situated in a little court, surrounded by lofty houses, and 
into which the light could only be admitted from the part that 
opened into the court; and that the barrel containing the oats had 
been placed behind the door. 
At seven o’clock the horses went to their usual work, the car¬ 
riage containing, among other things, these four packets. The 
day passed on; they ate their rations as usual, and did not ex¬ 
hibit the slightest symptom of illness. 
At 4 P.M., one of these horses started for Versailles. The 
driver carried with him a measure of corn taken from the same 
barrel, and which was given to the animal when he arrived at the 
end of his journey. At 9 p.m. he set out on his return, and 
having passed Series, the driver fell asleep, and did not awake 
until he cam.e to Point-du-Jour, between eleven o’clock and 
midnight, when he was roused by the sudden falling of the horse. 
He hastened to loosen him from the shafts, but his cares were 
useless: the animal expired in a few moments. 
The six horses that were left at Paris did not return from 
work until about eleven o’clock. Their ordinary feed of bran 
and oats was given, but they did not eat it with their usual ap¬ 
petite. At midnight three of them were seized with violent 
colic, accompanied by almost continual diarrhoea. 
M. Lamy sent hastily for a farrier, who, alarmed and surprized 
at seeing three horses so dreadfully ill at the same time, promptly. 
