60 ON THE MEDICINAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL 



occasionally sliudder as if under the influence of electricity. For 

 tlie space of eiglit liours it had no evacuation. The exhibition of 

 vinegar and tartrate of antimony and potassa only increased the 

 symptoms. Aftef giving olive-oil, vomiting was induced, which 

 brought up portions of the plant. The animal recovered (Trans, 

 from Traite des Poisons, 429). 



Merat states that in a certain dose it is not fatal, since Bul- 

 liard said that he had eaten more than two ounces without injury. 

 Dogs and cats, however, died after taking a quantity very little 

 larger. M. & De L., Diet, de M. M. i. 219. Of course, climate 

 may modify very much the quality of the plant. In higher lati- 

 tudes a much less quantity proved injurious. It was sujjposed 

 that the northern hordes, through its invigorating etfect, were 

 aided in their victories in the south of Europe (Murray, App. 

 Med. V. 556). Reinhardt has employed the tinct. of this fungus 

 as a powerful curative means for exfoliations of the skin ; and he 

 gave it internally, with success, in all obstinate cases attended 

 with muco-purulent expectoration. It may be employed alone, 

 or combined with powdered charcoal, in doses of thirty to forty 

 drops, four times a day, in an appropriate vehicle. He advises 

 that the lower part of the foot-stalk be used, gathered at the 

 beginning of autumn (Bull, des Sc. Med. de Terus. i. 365). M. 

 Polet, surgeon at Erveux, has recently advised the use of the 

 powdered plant for dressing cancerous ulcers (Journ. Analyt. de 

 Med. i. 542). This had been before pointed out by Murray 

 (Apparat. Med. v. 555), in hard glandular tumors, fistulas, pus- 

 tules on the cornea, to relieve the paroxysms of epilepsy, to lessen 

 tremor, convulsions, &c. From a half-scruple to a half-drachm 

 three times a day, or one drachm twice a day, in water or vinegar, 

 may be used. If the powder causes too much pain upon the 

 sores, it must be stopped. Merat & De L., Diet. Univ. de M. 

 Med. i. 220. In the amanatine obtained by the analysis of Le- 

 tellier (Journ. de Chim. Med. iii. 41), of which the alkalinity was 

 uncertain, it existed in combination with fungate of potash. 

 Tliis principle, in very small doses, proved to be a powerful nar- 

 cotic poison. Op. cii. suj). ; Fl. Suec. ji. 450; Gruner de A^ir- 

 tutibus Agarici Muscarii, vulgo Fliegen Sehioami/i, tam in 

 internis quam in externis ; Dissert, respondit AVhistling, Jena?, 

 1778 ; Letellier, Essai sur les proprietes chim. et toxiques du 

 poison des Agarics-a-volva, These, Paris, 1826. 



From the supplem. volume of the Diet, de M. M. 1846, we 



