INTRODUCTION 



39 



Gazette of May, 1893, from the pen of Mr. Mcllvaine, 

 whose many years' experience with gastronomic fun- 

 gi entitles his words to careful consideration : 



" The physician called upon to treat a case of toad- 

 stool poisoning need not wait to query after the va- 

 riety eaten ; he need not wish to see a 

 "^'^frr'* sample. His first endeavor should be 



treatment to ascertain the exact time elapsing be- 

 tween the eating of the toadstools and 

 the first feeling of discomfort. If this is within four 

 or five hours one of the minor poisons is at work, and 

 rapid relief must be given by the administration of 

 an emetic, followed by one or two moderate doses of 

 sweet-oil and whiskey, in equal parts. Vinegar is ef- 

 fective as a substitute for sweet-oil. If from eight to 

 twelve hours have elapsed, the physician may rest as- 

 sured that amanitine is present, and should adminis- 

 ter one-sixtieth of a grain of atropine at once." 



This atropine is intended to be injected hypoder- 

 mically, and the treatment repeated every half -hour 

 until one-twentieth of a grain has been given, or the 

 patient's life saved. 



Further consideration of the Amanita and its 

 deadly poison and antidote, with details as to treat- 

 ment in a notable case, will be reserved for the fol- 

 lowing chapter. 



The colored plates in the volume were prepared 

 from pencil drawings tinted in water-color, many of 

 them direct from nature, several dating back fifteen 

 years, and many of them over twenty years, for their 

 original sketch. The colors as presented indicate 

 those of typical individuals of the various species, and 



