798 FUNGI. 
the gills are at first delicately pink, and afterwards purple ; 
there is a permanent ring or collar round the stem ; and it must 
not be sought in woods. Dr. Badham and others have proved 
that much valuable food is thrown away in this country by the 
rejection of edible Fungi. Dr. Badham enumerates no less than 
thirty species of Fungi which are natives of Britain, and which 
were eaten by himself and friends ; and in the first part of 
Cooke’s ‘ Handbook of British Fungi,’ sixteen species belonging 
to the genus Agaricus alone are stated to be esculent. In 
France, Russia, Italy, Germany, and other countries, several 
Fungi are also eaten which are regarded by us as poisonous. It 
is ditticult to account for these conflicting statements, but we 
believe that the differences thus observed in the effects of 
Fungi are due to variations of soil and climate, the conditions 
under which they are grown, the different states, fresh, dried, 
or preserved, in which they are eaten, manner of cooking, 
and the peculiar idiosyncrasies of individuals who partake of 
them. Even the common Mushroom is sometimes poisonous, 
and in Italy, Hungary, and elsewhere, is generally avoided. 
We consider, therefore, that, with our present knowledge, it is 
better to abstain altogether from Fungi when there exists the 
slightest doubt of their qualities. 
From a chemical point of view the Fungi are remarkable for 
the large proportion of water which enters into their composition, 
by their containing much nitrogen, and being rich in phos- 
phates. 
Medicinally, Fungi have been regarded as aphrodisiac, nar- 
cotic, tonic, astringent, emetic, purgative, &c. Ergot of rye 
(see Secale cereale, page 738), which is used medicinally to excite 
uterine contractions in labour, and for other purposes, is now 
proved to be the sclerotium of Claviceps purpurea, Tulasne. 
Wheat and a number of other grasses are also frequently 
ergotised. 
Fungi are often very destructive to living plants and ani- 
mals by growing upon them. Thus, in plants, the diseases 
known as blight, mildew, rust,’smut, vine-mildew, potato disease, 
ergot, and others, are either caused from, or accelerated by, the 
agency of Fungi. Many important communications attempting 
to prove that Fungi are either the cause of, or the means of 
propagating, various diseases in the human subject, have been 
also made during the last few years, and it 1s now certain that 
Fungi are associated with several cutaneous and other external 
as well as internal diseases. In some cases of diphtheria 
reported a few years since in the ‘ British Medical Journal’ by 
Dr. N. W. Taylor, it is stated that the only apparent source 
of the disease was the mouldiness of the walls caused by the 
production of Coprinus domesticus and a form of Aspergillus. 
Berkeley also informed Dr. Taylor, that when he was at Lille in 
1838, at which time influenza was very fatal, it was supposed 
