EUTHALLEPHYTAEUMYCETES AMANITA 241 



deadly poison is shown by the fact that .0015 grain per 2 Ibs. weight of the animal is 

 a fatal dose for cats and dogs. It is the active principle of the most deadly of all mush- 

 rooms, the Amanita phalloides, or death-cup fungus. We quote again from Mr. Chesnut's 

 account of phallin and its treatment: "The fundamental injury is not due, as in the case 

 of muscarin, to a paralysis of the nerves controlling the action of the heart, but to a 

 direct effect on the blood corpuscles. These are quickly dissolved by phallin, the blood 

 serum escaping from the blood vessels into the alimentary canal, and the whole system 

 being rapidly drained of its vitality. No bad taste warns the victim, nor do the pre- 

 liminary symptoms begin until nine to fourteen hours after the poisonous mushrooms are 

 eaten. There is then considerable abdominal pain and there may be cramps in the legs 

 and other nervous phenomena, such as convulsions, and even lockjaw or other kinds of 

 tetanic spasms. The pulse is weak, the abdominal pain is ripadly followed by nausea, 

 vomiting and extreme diarrhoea, the intestinal discharges assuming the 'rice-water* condition 

 characteristic of cholera. The latter symptoms are persistently maintained, generally with- 

 out loss of consciousness, until death ensues, which happens in from two to four days. 

 There is no known antidote by which the effects of phallin can be counteracted. The un- 

 digested material, if not already vomited, should, however, be removed) from the stomach 

 and intestines by methods similar to those given for cases of poisoning by Amanita muscaria." 



Prof. Chesnut, writing in regard to the poisonous effect of this species, 

 says that: 



The pliallin spoken of is one of the toxalbumins, an extremely virulent poison found 

 in poisonous animals especially the rattlesnake. These toxalbumins are allied to those found 

 in diphtheria and other diseases produced by bacteria. 



Other species reported as poisonous or probably poisonous are A. flocco- 

 cephala, and A. cothurnata. Ford has shown that A. spreta, and A. virosa, A. 

 strobiliformis, A. chlorinosma, A. radicata, A. porphyria, and A. rubescens are 

 poisonous. The A. verna, a small spring form of A. phalloides, is also very 

 poisonous. 



Ford reports nearly 200 deaths since 1900 from this fungus in France, 

 Germany, Italy, and England. Ford gives the pathological changes described 

 by Maschka to be as follows : 



1. Lack of post mortem rigidity. 



2. Widening of the pupils. 



3. Failure of blood to coagulate and a cherry-red color. 



4. Ecchymoses and hemorrhages in the serous membranes and parenchy- 

 matous organs. 



5. Dilation of the bladder with urine. 



Studor, Sabli and Schoren found extensive necrotic and fatty changes in 

 liver, kidney, heart and voluntary muscles. The amount of fat in the liver 

 is nearly as great as in phosphorous poisoning. 



Clinical symptoms. Often latent period of from 6 to 12 hours during 

 which the victims remain quite well. They are suddenly seized with terrible 

 abdominal pain, excessive vomiting and thirst. Diarrhoea may set in with 

 mucous bloody stools, or there may be constipation. The paroxysm of pain 

 may be so severe as to result in a peculiar hipprocratic facies. The patients 

 rapidly lose strength. In 3 to 4 days in children and 6 to 8 days in adults, 

 coma develops, from which the patients cannot be aroused. Cyanosis and 

 lowered temperature precedes the fatal exit. Ocular symptoms and convulsions 

 do not ordinarily occur, but convulsions may be present on a terminal event. 

 The mortality varies from 6X3 to 100 per cent. 



Robert obtained from A. phalloides a substance with marked hemolytic 

 action, the dried extract dissolving ox blood 1 to 125,000. To this extract he 

 gave the name phallin, which he considered a toxalbumin. 



