THE JOURNAL OF THARMACOLOG\. 63 



ABSTRACTS. 



Mushroom Poisoning— Circular No. 13 of the Division of Botany. 

 United States Department of Agriculture, written by Mr. F. V. Coville. 

 Botanist of the Department, is entitled "Observations on Recent Cases of 

 Mushroom Poisoning in the District of Columbia," and is of unusual im- 

 portance. As the circular may be had upon application to the Department, 

 only its general character is here noticed. It gives brief accounts of a num- 

 ber of edible and poisonous fungi in the vicinity of Washing-ton, and is ac- 

 curately and beautifully illustrated by 21 cuts, taken chiefly from photo- 

 graphs made by Mr. A. J. Pieters. The following general advice given by 

 the author as to the eating of unknown fungi is well worth quoting: 



"Many kinds of fleshy fungi are without question delicious and highly- 

 nutritious foods, while the gathering of them is an exhilarating pastime. 

 A novice who proposes to gather mushrooms for himself should never use a 

 species for food until he has found out positively its name and its non- 

 poisonous character. He should then familiarize himself with this species 

 until he knows it from all others as certainly as he knows the cabbage, the 

 turnip, the cauliflower, or any other of our common vegetables. He should 

 confine himself rigidly to this his personal edible list, and should add to it 

 only as thus recommended. His authority for the name and qualities of 

 each kind he adds to this list should be some person having an unquestioned 

 expert knowledge of mushrooms. There is no single test and no safe series 

 for poisonous mushrooms. The poisons contained in the various species 

 are extremely diverse in their physiological effects and their chemical com- 

 position. In the District of Columbia occur at least thirty good-sized 

 edible species, at least four species known to be poisonous, and several more 

 that are suspected of being poisonous. Regarding these suspected species, 

 we shall never know the actual facts until some one has been poisoned 

 by them, or till experiments are made on animals to ascertain their physio- 

 logical effects. Botanists, who from long training in the discrimination of 

 plants possess the faculty of distinguishing readily betwcien related species, 

 will easily avoid the error of mistaking superficial resemblances for the 

 teal characteristics of the different kinds, and may be trusted in the iden- 

 tification of mushrooms, if they have studied that group of plants. If there 

 is a mushroom club in the community, every one who proposes to become a 

 connoisseur in mushrooms should join it. In the District of Columbia a 

 recently organized association known as the Washington Mycological Club 

 is recommended. Membership in such a club and a proper use of the fa- 

 cilities afforded by it should prevent the mistaking of a poisonous for an 

 edible species." 



