68 EDIBLE MUSHROOMS 



of the poison — their symptoms were alike, one suffering as much 



as the other (August 31). I began the use of the all<aloid in 



the evening of the same day, when 1 saw. the 



Administration powers of life giving way, the heart failing, and 



of antidote the respiration becoming shallow. It was used 



in all the cases as follows : 



Mrs. B., yfo. W. ^> or j|^, or ^ gr. 



Mr. F., -j-y, -gV, ^tr, dV. or tJt gr- 



Mrs. R., xio. -gV. -5*0. sh, or tJt gr- 



Thos. R., ^^, -gV, ^0. ^. Vo> or y|o, or ^ gr. 



Mrs. R, y^T. uV. -sV> A- ^. or y|^, or ^ gr. 



In accordance with the above formulee the drug was admin- 

 istered. I visited the patients at intervals of six or eight hours, 

 and at each visitation they received an injection in the doses 

 above mentioned. From this we see that in all Mrs. B. received 

 gr. -^ of atropine ; Mr. F. received gr. ^^ of atropine ; Mrs. R. 

 received gr. y^^j of atropine ; Thos R. (fatal) received gr. ^ of 

 atropine ; Mrs. F. (fatal) received gr. ^ of atropine. 



The alkaloid failing to save the two that died I think can be 

 attributed to one of two causes, or probably both : 



1. That the use of atropine was begun too late and not used 

 heroically enough. 



2. That so much of the poison was taken up by the system in 

 these cases that it became too virulent to counteract. 



From the history of the cases I know they ate by far the largest 

 quantity. My opinion leans towards the first probable cause I 

 have mentioned. 



Another fact worth stating here is that the pupils never became 

 affected by the administration of these doses. 



Hoping this will make the matter satisfactory, I remain 



Yours truly, J. E. Shadle. 



The interval between the ingestion and the syn^p- 

 toms is, therefore, a most important aid in the diag- 

 nosis of a case of mushroom poisoning; and in the 

 event of an Amanita, heretofore absolutely fatal, it is 

 presumably under the control of medical science, now 



