PROPERTIES OF CRYPTOGAMIC PLANTS. 77 



Bougard, Lond. Med. Gazette. The plant is said to be poisonous 

 in France ; but this may be confounded with the A. piperatus of 

 Scop., see aptid p. 244. 



The A. necator, of Bull, is said by him to produce "terrible 

 colics." Orfila, Traite des Poisons, iv. 425 ; and Leg. de Med. 

 Legale, avec planches descript. M. Braconnot found in this, 

 and A. volvaceus, gelatine, albumen, and phosph. potash in large 

 quantity, also adipocire ; which indicate an animal nature. 

 Ann. de Chim. ; M. & De Lens' Diet, de M. Med. ii. 203 ; see 

 also, A. pip. infra. In supplem. vol. 1846, to M. & De Lens' 

 Diet, de M. Med,, experiments to test the power of the A. jpif. 

 Linn, in dissolving stones in the bladder, are advised — Loesel 

 (Flor. Pruss, 82) having stated that the milky juice, mixed with 

 the syrup of Althaea, would bring away the gravel with the urine, 

 as his own experience had attested. Koques mentions that the 

 experiments of Paulet seem to prove that this plant is not poison- 

 ous, although Bulliard and Dr. Picco assure us to the contrary. 

 Koques gave to two young cats one of these mushrooms mixed 

 with food. Although it had taken a very little, it was seized 

 with a violent diarrhoea, with much weakness and trembling, 

 which lasted for several hours. On the next day, one of these 

 animals still remained feeble, while the other was in a natural 

 state. He repeated the experiment upon a dog, which ate a 

 mushroom mixed with its food. An hour afterwards it vomited, 

 and rejected the entire mixture. It remained prostrate for many 

 hours, and appeared much exhausted. In the evening it took 

 milk with avidity. It is probable, he adds, that the poison would 

 have caused death, or very grave symptoms, had it not been 

 rejected. 



Dr. Larber reports a case of poisoning, occasioned by the A. 

 necator of Bulliard, and one of its varieties. Two persons died 

 at Bassano from having eaten these plants. Among the principal 

 phenomena, he observed violent vomiting amounting to a sort of 

 cholera, followed by a profound stupor, which no remedies could 

 subdue. He found the sanguineous vessels of the meninges much 

 injected, and the digestive organs more or less inflamed (Sow., 

 Fung. Sag. i. 75). Bulliard, remarks Roques, thought that he 

 did not confound this with the s]3ecies eaten in portions of Eu- 

 rope ; but the two have nothing in common, with the exception 

 of a milky juice. The poisonous plant may be confounded with 



