217 



sets in and death results the third or fourth day, the later symp- 

 toms indicating grave changes in the liver, kidney and brain. 



Conclusion. — If you are to gather your own mushrooms learn 

 these poisonous forms so that you are able to recognize them as 

 easily as you recognize the letters of the alphabet. Destroy every 

 poisonous mushroom you see and for safety destroy other mush- 

 rooms growing in the immediate vicinity of the poisonous one. 



There is a belief current among the populace that edible mush- 

 rooms growing near poisonous ones are rendered poisonous by 

 this proximity. I can not say if this is so and botanists to whom 

 I have spoken about it laugh at the idea, and yet I might believe 

 that poisonous spores or poisonous gill fragments or even pieces 

 of poisonous cuticle might settle upon the caps of innocent edible 

 neighbors. Therefore, I say be on the safe side and destroy all 

 mushrooms in the immediate vicinity of the poisonous ones. 



Prevention. — Prophylaxis: The question of the prevention of 

 mushroom poisoning must be considered now, for it is in the 

 prevention that to-day there is more hope than in the treatment 

 of the poisoning. There are more than lOO serious cases each 

 year in France and of course many hundreds throughout the 

 civilized world. The death rate is small if we consider all cases, 

 but as each death is the result of carelessness, it is wholly inex- 

 cusable. Mushrooms are not such valuable vegetables that one 

 can afford to try any experiments and each one who expects to 

 eat those of his own hunting must learn one or tw^o important 

 rules and rid himself of much erroneous information which the 

 public will furnish. I have formulated the question of preven- 

 tion of mushroom poisoning as follows: 



Rule I. Learn first to recognize every Amanita and Gyro- 

 mitra esculenta. 



Rule II. As soon as possible be able to identify the twenty- 

 two varieties which are named on page 219. 



Rule III. If you are sure you have not an Amanita you may 

 taste a piece the size of a dime. If it tastes good and no symp- 

 toms follow the ingestion of a small piece you may cook one, 

 throw away the water in which it is cooked, and eat it. If no 

 symptoms arise that day and you like your new-found friend 

 you may cautiously increase the dose. 



