28 AGARICINI. 



Properties, very poisonous and dangerous. Often mistaken for the 

 edible species of naucinus and campestris. 



Locality. Is found in nearh- every open woods in the Lehigh Valley 

 and the State from midsummer to fall. 



The amanita vernus is supposed to be the same, or a variety. The 

 active principle is called phallin, and was isolated by Kopart, of Russia. 

 Its modus operandi consists not of depressing the heart's action as much 

 as muscarine, but of dissolving the red corpuscles of the blood and per- 

 mitting the serum to escape through the alimentary canal. Weir Mitchell 

 has proven that phallin is similar to the rattlesnake poison. It is an 

 albuminoid, and classed under toxalbumen. 



It is similar to the homeophathic proving of Lachesis. The fatal dose 

 for cats and dogs is less than .01 of a milligram, .00007 of ^ grain of body 

 weight. 



A good diagnosis between phallin poisoning and muscarine poisoning 

 is to find out the time that inters^enes between the eating and first toxic 

 symptoms showing themselves. If only a few hours, say from four to 

 five, you can expect phallin poisoning, together with the cholera symp- 

 toms, but when from eight to twelve horurs intervene you may expect a 

 case of muscarine poisoning and at once give a hypodermic of morphine 

 one-fourth, with atropia ihn gr. 



Salt water is generally used in the preparation of mushrooms which in a 

 measure might remove or coagulate the toxalbumin. There is no known 

 antidote for phallin as there is of Amanita muscaria. Atropia and its 

 allies does not counteract the poison. The only resource is by transfusion 

 of the blood of some animal. 



A. pantherina. D. C. Panther Toadstool. 



Pileus, four to six inches broad, pale umber, convex, 

 expanded, depressed in the center, with a viscous pellicle, 

 margin striated, fragments of the volva in form of beautiful 

 white warts scattered over the surface of the pileus. 



Gills, free, reaching the stem, broad, shining white. 



Stem, stuffed, then hollow, spider-web fibres within, atten- 

 uated upwards. 



Volva, has an entire and obtuse margin at the base of stem. 



Ring", w^hite membraneous, medial. 



