46S 



KNO\VLi:i)GE. 



December, 1912. 



ness and diarrhoL'a. jaundice, irregular breathing, 

 delirium and convnlsinns. 



The recognition of cases of toadstool poisoning is 

 generally easy : but it is murli more diHiciilt. as a rule. 

 to say which toadstool has been taken. .\ rajjid 

 onset of synijitoms with 

 drunkenness and deiiriuni 

 strongly suggest the Scarlet 

 I'ly Cap {Aiiiiiiiitti iiiiiscirriu). 

 .\n examination of the remains 

 of the meal or of the vomit 

 is of great assistance. The 

 flesh of the Death - cup 

 (Amanita phalloiiies) is seen 

 microscopically to contain 

 large sausage - shaped cell> 

 among the smaller threads of 

 the mycelium, and this struc- 

 ture can still be made out 

 even after the toadstool is 

 cooked. The appearance of 

 the spores of several si)ecies, 

 notably Amanita mtiscaria 

 and A. fylialloides and Riissiila 

 cmctica, under the micro- 

 scope, is very characteristic, 

 and, as these structures resist 

 digestion, a diagnosis ma\' 

 sometimes be made by this 

 means. 



.\ word or two on the treat- 

 ment of toadstool poisoning 

 may not be entireiv out of 

 place. The first thing to do 

 is, of course, to endeavour to 

 clear the digestive tract of 



the poison. Vomiting should be encouraged or 

 artificially produced by mustard and water or other 

 emetics and the stomach ma\- be washed out if 

 this is practicable. Unless there is severe diarrhoea, 

 purgatives should be given. A tea-spoonful of 



Shagg 



castor oil with one or t\\o drops of croton oil 

 in it has proved most effective. Powdered charcf)al 

 (animal or vegetable) should also be administered. 

 Where the toadstool contains .Muscarine (Amanita 

 muscaria. A. fiantherina or A. mapfta) one-hundredth 

 to one-fiftieth of a grain of 

 atropine should be injected 

 hypodermically. In other 

 cases opium or morphia will 

 be useful, both for the 

 intestinal irritation and for 

 the nervous symptoms. 

 Where severe diarrhoea has 

 caused depletion of the tissues 

 of their fluid contents, trans- 

 fusion with salt solution may 

 be desirable. 



Turning now to the general 

 coinposition of fungi, we find 

 that seventy to ninet\-two 

 per cent, is water. Of the 

 dry solids two to five per cent, 

 consist of nitrogen. This is 

 a high percentage, but only 

 one to 3-5 per cent, is com- 

 bined as proteid. The per- 

 centage of mineral salts is 

 high, six to twelve per cent., 

 and these are mainly of 

 potassium with some iron and 

 manganese. There is also in 

 the dried toadstool 1-5 to 

 six per cent, of fats, fatty 

 acids and other substances 

 soluble in ether, the food 

 value of which is doubtful. 

 The remainder is largely carbohydrates, such as 

 cellulose, fungus cellulose, glycogen and mannite. 

 Fungi contain no starch. 



The relatively-high [)ercentage of nitrogen would 

 suggest that fungi should have a high nutritive x'alue. 



Figure 498. 

 Caps iCopriiitis coiiiatus) 



*^ 



^^^ 



Figure 4'jj. 

 The Coininoii Farth-ball (Sclerodcniiu viilnarc). 



Figure 300. Boletus clnyscntLi-on. 

 Showing tooth marks of squirrel \shich Iiad nibbled the toadstool. 



