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Originally Posted by prudery
More b.s. from Yahoo ... This is old news in every way ...
The test was performed in 2006, and the mystery was proclaimed solved then by the same scientists... Replay ...
The hairs tested came from the taxidermy---which was preserved with arsenic ...
Many horses of Phar Lap's time received tonic containing arsenic, and strychnine ... Also containing similar toxins was the grass sprayed with insecticide he was accidently grazed on at Menlo Park ...
The 1932 autopsy clearly showed arsenic in his system---more old news ...
All this proved was that he died with arsenic in his system---long known---not the cause of death ... And that the hairs from the taxidermy preserved with arsenic showed---mirabile dictu---duh---arsenic ...
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"however, in 2006 Australian Synchrotron Research scientists said it was almost certain Phar Lap was poisoned with a large single dose of arsenic 35 hours before he died, supporting the theory that Phar Lap was killed on the orders of US gangsters, who feared the Melbourne-Cup-winning champion would inflict big losses on their illegal bookmakers.[3]
Sydney veterinarian Dr Percy Sykes believes poisoning did not cause the death. He said "In those days, arsenic was quite a common tonic, usually given in the form of a solution (Fowler's Solution)," and suggests this was the cause of the high levels. "It was so common that I'd reckon 90 per cent of the horses had arsenic in their system."[4] In December 2007 Phar Lap's mane was tested to find if he was given repeated doses of arsenic which, if found, would point to accidental poisoning.
On June 19, 2008, the Melbourne Museum released the findings of the forensic investigation conducted by Dr. Ivan Kempson, University of South Australia, and Dermot Henry, Natural Science Collections at Museum Victoria. Dr. Kempson took six hairs from Phar Lap’s mane and analyzed them at the Advanced Photon Source in Chicago.
These high resolution x-rays detect arsenic in hair samples, showing the specific difference "between arsenic which had entered the hair cells via the blood and arsenic which had infused the hair cells by the taxidermy process when he was stuffed and mounted at the museum". [5]
Kempson and Henry discovered that in the 30 to 40 hours before Phar Lap’s death, the horse ingested a massive dose of arsenic. "We can't speculate where the arsenic came from, but it was easily accessible at the time," Henry said. [6]"
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wikipedia
thought you should know.