Horses get some brain-power

2005-10-05 21:35

Sydney - An Australian state government on Wednesday said it would investigate allegations that a forensic laboratory worker stole parts from human brains so they could be injected into racehorses to make them run faster.

The worker at a pathology lab in the northern city of Brisbane reportedly stole pituitary glands, found at the base of the brain, because the hormones they contain govern growth stimulation and could stimulate horses.

The claims, made by the worker's colleagues, appeared in a report in the Courier-Mail daily newspaper.

But Queensland state health minister Stephen Robertson said health department officials were "totally unaware of the allegations".

"The health scientific services branch is undertaking an urgent investigation into the allegations including interviews with employees and formal searches of departmental records," he said.

"The employee who appears to be the subject of these allegations has been interviewed and has categorically denied them."

The worker at the centre of the allegations, who agreed to the investigation, was also accused of keeping the nooses of suicide victims and the drip bags attached to people who died in hospitals.

- AFP