LEVINE: Two sPECIES OF POISONOUS MUSHROOMS 187 
tapping the cage failed to stimulate. It was only when the animal 
was caught that it showed signs of life and its efforts to resist were 
very futile. In a number of cases, Nos. 3 and 4, TABLE I, and 
others, it appeared that soon after the injection the hind portions 
of the body responded feebly when touched and there were spas- 
modic contractions of the head and fore legs. In all cases after 
an intraperitoneal injection was made the rate of respiration in- 
creased considerably. Оп approaching death there was generally 
a period of feeble respiratory movements, followed by rapid breath- 
ing, which often appeared labored. In all cases where death oc- 
curred an autopsy was performed, primarily to determine whether 
or not the injection had caused mechanical injury to the intestines 
or other abdominal organs. In no cases was there any trace of 
such injury of the intestine or stomach or any other abdominal 
organ. There was, however, a distension of the intestine due to 
gases and the pyloric end of the stomach and intestine showed 
hemorrhagic areas. 
Injection of extract No. 6 proved to be harmless. 
A number of control experiments (see TABLE 1) were performed 
simultaneously with the Panaeolus tests. Tap water, .8 per cent 
physiological salt solution, and infusions of Agaricus campestris 
were used. As in the Panaeolus tests a quantity of liquid equal 
to 1 to 2 per cent of the body weight of the animal was 
injected. The animal shortly after the injection fed and appeared 
normal in every respect and remained so. The animal in control 
experiments No. 5, TABLE I, was later injected (March 1, 1917) with 
4 c.c. of infusion No. 3. Immediately afterward he developed 
all the symptoms of Panaeolus intoxication and died within twenty- 
four hours. An autopsy failed to show any abnormality other 
than those described above. 
The above experiments show clearly that intraperitoneal in- 
jections of Panaeolus venenosus prove fatal to guinea pigs and 
rabbits and that relatively small quantities bring about this result. 
The symptoms in many respects are not unlike those caused by 
other mushroom poisons as reported by Ford and others. The 
extracts of dry material give the same results as the infusions,made 
by fresh plants; both are equally toxic. 
