BOTANICAL MUSEUM LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
Campripcre, Massacnusetts, APRIL 6, 1973 
THE CLAUDIUS CASE 
BY 
FiLorian De.rceN and Hans Grerp KAvErR 
In his essay ‘The Death of Claudius or Mushrooms 
for Murderers’’ (Bot. Mus. Leafl. Harvard Univ., vol. 
23, no. 3, 1972, pp. 101-123), Mr. R. Gordon Wasson 
made a most brilliant attempt to identify the poison by 
means of which the Roman Emperor ‘Tiberius Claudius 
was possibly poisoned. The essay inspired us to reread 
some of the classical texts. In doing so we came across a 
number of facts which argue against Mr. Wasson’s theses. 
These theses can be summarized as follows: Claudius 
was murdered with a poison mixed by Locusta and ad- 
ministered to him in a single mushroom or in a dish of 
mushrooms. Wasson identifies this poison as 4 manita 
phalloides. \When this poison did not seem to work, 
Claudius was administered a second poison which Was- 
son identifies as “‘colocynth’’, i.e. Citrullus colocynthis 
(L.) Schrader. 
Let us first consider the first poison. Wasson’s thesis 
that it was 4. phalloides is based upon these three as- 
sertions: 
1. The Latin word ‘boleti’ in Roman times desig- 
nated the same group of mushrooms which since Lin- 
naeus’ time are called ‘dA manitae’. (cf. Wasson, p. 118) 
2. Wasson holds that the effects of the poison as they 
are described by Tacitus (. . . turbaret mentem et mor- 
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