NOTE ON THE REPUTED POISONOUS PROP- 

 ERTIES OF COPRINUS COMATUS 



Louis C. C. Krieger 



In Mycologia for March, 191 1, Professor Dearness alludes to 

 some recent cases of poisoning attributed by Doctor Cleghorn to 

 Coprinus comatus. As this species is a favorite with mushroom- 

 eaters, any reflection upon its character is worthy of consideration. 

 Professor Dearness, realizing this, suggests the following expla- 

 nation : 



" In the process of disintegration, nocuous products undoubtedly 

 do develop from innocent compounds, but, further, it is quite con- 

 ceivable that the strength of poisonous principles may vary in the 

 same species of mushroom or that even some alkaloid may be 

 normally present in one set of conditions and be absent in another. 

 On what other theory can one explain the experience reported by 

 Dr. Cleghorn in the October number of Good Housekeeping (p. 



442)?" 



Could not a poisonous species somehow have got into the broth ? 



Four reasons present themselves against the view that the noted 

 edible Coprin'ws could have caused the trouble. (1) Some my- 

 cophagists claim that deliquescence, instead of rendering it poison- 

 ous, heightens the flavor. (2) It is not apt to be eaten in the 

 decaying condition, for it becomes repulsive to the average person 

 by its deliquescence alone : no person with his olfactories in normal 

 order will eat the decayed or decaying plant. (3) Except by mis- 

 take it has never before been reported as poisonous.* (4) Idio- 

 syncrasy, in Dr. Cleghonrs cases, is out of the question, as too 

 many individuals were similarly affected. 



But if another species may be held responsible, then which? 



* According to J. A. Palmer ("About Mushrooms," Boston, 1894, p. 11), 

 Berkeley and Curtis are said to have considered it poisonous, but Berkeley 

 (" Outlines ") states it to be edible, and Curtis (" Catalogue of N. Carolina 

 Fungi ") does likewise. Indeed, its reputation as an edible fungus may be 

 traced back to Pliny. 



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