LEVINE: Two SPECIES OF POISONOUS MUSHROOMS 199 
element in my infusion is entirely unknown. While no chemical 
study of the active principle of Panaeolus venenosus or P. retirugis 
has been made, it appears from these experiments that they con- 
tain some substance which has a temporary and local anaesthetic 
effect on nerve tissue, especially the vagus nerves, and in this 
respect is like cocaine. Furthermore, these experiments show that 
P. venenosus and P. retirugis contain a substance or substances 
with similar physiological and toxicological properties. The most 
interesting fact about the infusions from these species is that they 
differ entirely from the extracts made of other fungi so far investi- 
gated. According to Ford and Clark and their collaborators, 
Amanita muscaria, the poisonous Russulas, Clitocybes, Inocybes, 
Boleti and other species of poisonous mushrooms contain a toxic 
substance which physiologically acts like muscarine, 7. e., when the 
extracts of these mushrooms are applied to the vagus nerve, the 
nerve-endings are stimulated and cause in turn the inhibition of - 
heart-action. The infusions of Panaeolus species studied here 
show no effect on the hearts of the frogs or turtles except to anaes- 
thetize the part of the nerve to which they are applied. 
SUMMARY 
1. No attempt was made to isolate the toxic substances in 
Panaeolus venenosus and P. retirugis. Infusions of the mushrooms 
were used in testing their toxic properties. 
2. Infusions made by macerating P. venenosus with an equal 
weight of water produced death of guinea pigs and rabbits when 
14 to 2 per cent of their body weight of the infusion was injected 
intraperitoneally. 
3. Subcutaneous injections of these infusions into guinea pigs 
and rabbits caused milder symptoms than those observed in 
animals injected intraperitoneally; these injections did not cause 
death, but without exception caused the sloughing off of the skin 
in the region of the injection. 
4. Intravenous injections of relatively small quantities of in- 
fusion into the circulatory system of the rabbit caused symptoms 
similar to those observed when the animal was injected intra- 
peritoneally, but no death was recorded and the animals recovered 
completely within a few hours. 
