Ford and Clark: Properties of Poisonous Fungi 183 
a few of the characteristic muscarin symptoms. It is worthy of 
note that the poison is destroyed by heating, as previously reported 
by Kunkel . 45 Goldman 46 has reported cases of poisoning by Lac- 
tarius torminosus in Germany. 
Russula emetica Fries 
The tendency of this brilliant species to cause gastro-intestinal 
disturbances with vomiting is well known and this reputation has 
prevented its use as food. Robert 32 has isolated three basic sub- 
stances from it; cholin, muscarin, and an atropin-like substance 
already mentioned in the discussion of Amanita muscaria. The 
emetic properties of this fungus are usually sufficient to cause its 
expulsion as soon as the material reaches the stomach and thus 
prevent absorption of the poison. 
Pholiota autumnalis Peck 
Peck 47 has called attention to the fact that this supposedly 
harmless mushroom may be the cause of fatal poisoning and Ford 
and Sherrick 38 have studied its action on animals and have shown 
that it is acutely toxic to them. At the autopsy the hearts were 
found greatly dilated in every case and atropin did not neutralize 
this peculiar heart-dilating effect. Evidently the poison is a pow- 
erful one of unknown nature. 
Inocybe infida (Peck) Earle 
This is so small a plant that it is not likely to fall into the hands 
of mushroom eaters. Murrill , 48 however, has recorded the pois- 
oning of a family of several persons who had eaten Inocybe infida 
by mistake for another similar but edible fungus. Clark and 
Kantor 49 have isolated from this plant, by methods planned to ex- 
tract muscarin from Amanita muscaria, a small amount of a 
poison causing long continued paralysis in frogs. The symptoms 
shown by the frogs were not typical of muscarin but did indicate a 
definite and powerful action on the nervous system. In a later 
series of experiments Clark and Smith 11 applied the same extrac- 
tion methods to both Inocybe infida and Clitocybe illudens, ob- 
taining substances which had a characteristic muscarin effect upon 
the frog’s heart, the effect being neutralized by atropin. Further 
