PROPERTIES OF CRYPTOGAMIC PLANTS. 61 



learn tliat the plant possesses a remarkable power of coagulating 

 albumen, wliicli property is shared by ergot, and which, accord- 

 ing to Malhe, renders them hemostatic, — p. 16. In the same 

 work the writer mentions that he knew a number of soldiers, in 

 the month of October, to eat it in the forest of St. Germain, with- 

 out the least hesitation. They stated that in the middle of France 

 they had constantly been in the habit of eating them (these were 

 the A. muscaria, Pers.). See also, Dr. Beauvais' work entitled 

 Eifets Toxiques, etc., Paris, 1845 : Paulet, Mem. de la Soc. Poy. 

 de Med. i. 473; Id. Mem. de I'Acad. des Sc, Paris, 17Y4; 

 Georgi, Obs. sur I'Agaricus Muse, Leipsig, 1783 ; Yadroit, Obs. 

 sur I'Empois. par les Champ., particulierement par I'espece ap- 

 pelee Fausse Orange, Paris, 1814. 



We observe, however, that M. Poques says distinctly, that 

 this plant has not its poisonous properties modified by any cli- 

 mate, — " II est veneneitx dans tous les pays.'''' The Czar Alexis 

 lost his life by eating this mushroom ; and Toesel reports (Flora 

 Prussica), that six Lithuanians suffered equally from its poisonous 

 effects. The details of its effects upon the Kamtschatkans, by 

 Ki-ascheminikow, in his Natural History of that country, are 

 explicit respecting the delirious intoxication induced by it; 

 Gmelin and Pallas, also, equally certifying its intoxicating powers. 

 Professor Yanquelin also obtained from this plant, by chemical 

 analysis, many salts, and a heavy body in which resided its pois- 

 onous properties. It destroyed cats and dogs in a few hours, if 

 they were not relieved. BuUiard states that dogs suffered more 

 than cats. Roques, also, produced death in one of these by three 

 of them. It was preceded by stupor and prostration, the vessels 

 of the neck being also gorged with blood, and the stomach 

 slightly inflamed. The acetate of ammonia is found to present 

 the best means of relief. Koques reports seven different sets of 

 observations respecting its deleterious effects on man. 



,, , -r. ( Panther Agaric. Borders 



Agar^cus pather^nus, Dec ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ ^^ q^^^_ 



" rnuscar^us, v. 2, Purt. | ^^^^. . g^ ^^ , ^^ p^^^^^_ 



A singular form of the narcotic effects of this fungus, is re- 

 corded in the Annali Univ. de Medicina, 1842, 549. It occurred 

 in the case of a boy wdio had eaten it, near Bologna. In the 

 course of two hours he was seized with delirium, a maniacal dis- 

 position to rave, and some convulsive movements. Ere long 



