572 Medical Botany. 



which continues for a considerable time after taking it. For instance, a 

 man moderately intoxicated to-day, will by the next morning have slept 

 himself sober ; but (as is the custom) by taking a tea-cup of his urine, he is 

 more powerfully intoxicated than he was the preceding day by the fungus. 

 The intoxicating property of the fungus is capable of being propagated ; for 

 every one who partakes of it has his urine similarly affected. Thus, with 

 a very few amanitas, a party of drunkards may keep up the debauch for 

 a week. Dr. Langsdorf mentions, that, by means of the second person 

 taking the urine of the first, the third that of the second, and so on, the 

 intoxication may be propagated through five individuals." 



-4garicus semiglobatus. A case is given, in the London Medical mid Phy- 

 sical Journal, of a family of five persons, who ate champignons which had 

 been stewed with butter, flower, pepper, salt, and water, in an iron vessel, 

 and within ten minutes afterwards felt their spirits exhilarated. In about 

 five hours they were attacked with stupor; in three days one of them 

 died ; the day afterwards two more : the mother miscarried ; the father 

 barely escaped; and a dog died in great agonies. 



" On the Continent a great many kinds of fungi are used for culinary 

 purposes. In this country, very few are regarded by epicures as edible ; 

 but Dr. Greville enumerates no fewer than twenty-six species, which grow 

 abundantly in most parts of Britain, that may be eaten with safety. They 

 are the following: — Tuber cibarium, or common truffle; T. moschatum 

 and T. album, two analogous species ; Amanita csesarea and aurantiaca, the 

 oronge of the French, which is often confounded with the A. muscaria, 

 but may be distinguished from it by the colour of the gills, which in the 

 former species are yellow ; Jgaricus procerus, campestris, oreades, odorus, 

 eburneus, zdmarius, ostreatus, aiolaceus, /jiperatus, acris, and deliciosus ; 

 Cantharellus cibarius ; boletus edulis, scaber ; Fistulina hepatica ; i/yd- 

 num repandum; Clavaria coralloides, cinerea; Morchella esculenta ; Z/elvella 

 mitra and leucophse v a. Some of these, however, especiallypiperatus and acris, 

 have been deemed unwholesome. M. Orfila, in his Toxicologic Generale, men- 

 tions the following species as decidedly poisonous : Jmanita muscaria, alba, 

 citrina, and viridis ; the Hypophyllum maculatum, albocitrinum, tricuspi- 

 datum, sanguineum, crux-militense, pudibundum, and pelitum ; the Jgaricus 

 necator, acris, piperatus, pyrogalus, stipticus, annularis, and urens. To these 

 may be added, the A. semiglobatus, bulbosus, and probably many others." 



JBhus Toxicodendron, jRhus radicans of Hort. Kew. The yellowish 

 milky juice which exudes from the wounds of this plant becomes black with 

 exposure to the atmosphere, and forms one of the most perfect kinds of 

 indelible ink. Applied to linen it does not fade from age, washing, or ex- 

 posure to common chemical agents. It contains an acrid poison, as does 

 the juice of several other species, R. pumilum, fyphinum, andvernix. This 

 poison affects different individuals very differently, and on some it has little 

 or no effect. Low diet and purgatives form the treatment recommended. In 

 France it has been used as a medicine. — Pterocarpus erinaceus. This is 

 the tree which yields the kino of the materia medica, though the Edinburgh 

 college has inserted kino as the inspissated juice of the Eucalyptus resi- 

 nifera, and the Dublin Pharmacopceia as the product of Bute# frondosa. 

 The Pterocarpus is a native of Senegal, and the kino is obtained from it by 

 incisions made in the trunk and branches. It is principally employed, com- 

 bined with other astringents, in obstinate chronic diarrhoea, &c. 



Pterocarpus santalinus. This is the red saunders tree of the druggists, 

 chiefly used as a colouring matter, like dragon's blood. — .Ferula persica. 

 A hardy perennial, from the Persian mountains, supposed to produce assa- 

 fcetida, though the principal species from which that drug is obtained is the 

 F. Assafoe'tida. This gum resin is obtained by cutting over the stem at the 

 collar, when the leaves begin to decay; the juice then exudes, and is 

 scraped off and inspissated by exposure to the air. The assafcetida is en> 



