88 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[July 30, 1870. 
compounds which threw light upon these discrepancies, 
and which are, moreover, of some scientific interest. 
It had been observed by J. Personnel that chloral 
enters into combination with alcohol just as it does with 
water. According to our observations, the other alco¬ 
hols of the fatty series behave similarly to ethylic alco¬ 
hol. When one equivalent of chloral is mixed with one 
equivalent of anhydrous ethylic alcohol, there is union 
accompanied with development of heat, and, on cooling, 
the resulting compound solidifies into a crystalline mass. 
The same takes place when methylic, butylic, or amylic 
alcohol, or mercaptan, is substituted for ethylic alcohol. 
We may regard these compounds as intermediate 
trichloracetals. 
Acetal. Trieliloracetal. 
CF 3 (CC1 3 
CH OCoIIg 
(op 2 H 5 
Chloral amylate. 
mg 
CH 
OCoH 5 
oc;h 5 
Chloral alcoholate. 
CCL 
CH OH 
(OC 2 H- 
CC1 3 
CH l OH 
( 
OC,H 
n 
Chloral-hydrate. 
( CC1 3 
CH OH 
( OH 
Chloral mercaptide. 
( CC1 3 
CII SH 
( OCoPL 
Inasmuch as the production of these compounds takes 
place without formation of any bye-products, analysis of 
them appeared to be unnecessary. We have, however, 
taken the vapour-densities of some of them, and found 
that, like chloral-hydrate itself, they have only half the 
condensation indicated by their formulas. 
With the ethers of the alcohol-radicals chloral does not 
combine. The compound of chloral and ethylic alcohol 
boils at 115° to 116° C., and solidifies at 40° C., becoming- 
crystalline. At 40° C. (in the fluid condition) its sp. gr. 
is 1-143. 
In cold water it dissolves only slowly, but on warming, 
the solution is complete. In ether, alcohol, acetic ether, 
and petroleum, it is easily soluble; and on cooling- the 
hot concentrated solution, it crystallizes out in long- 
beautiful needles. 
The methylic compound resembles the ethylic com¬ 
pound very closely. It boils at 98° C. 
The amylic compound boils at 143° C., and at 25° C. 
has a sp. gr. of l - 2340. At 25° C. it solidifies to a crys¬ 
talline mass, which is soluble in ether, alcohol, and pe¬ 
troleum. From the last-named solvent it is capable of 
crystallizing in long tufts of needles. Only on prolonged 
boiling- with water is the decomposition into chloral and 
amylic alcohol complete. 
Chloral-mercaptide, chloral, and mercaptan combine 
with great evolution of heat, and form a crystalline 
compound, soluble in ether, alcohol, sulphuret of car¬ 
bon, and capable of crystallizing easily out of its solutions 
hi these solvents. 
We can easily understand that the alcohol-compound 
has been often taken for the hydrate of chloral, and that 
the hydrate has been often contaminated with the alco¬ 
holate. 
It appears to us to be especially interesting to study 
the physiological characters of the alcohol-compounds; 
according to O. Liebreich, the physiological effects of 
the alcoholate differ essentially from those of hydrate. 
In preparing- the hydrate for medicinal use, one of the 
main points to be attended to is its freedom from alco¬ 
holic compounds. Pure hydrate of chloral boils at 85° 
C., as we have ascertained by numerous experiments. 
MUSHROOMS. 
Two cases of cryptogamie poisoning have been re¬ 
ported within the last fortnight, and it is certainly very 
much to be regretted that the difficulty of distinguishing 
between poisonous and non-poisonous Fungi is so great, 
since mushrooms are held in such high estimation as a 
delicacy by all classes, and are gathered and consumed 
in great quantities with so little discrimination. Look- 
* ‘ Cotnptes Rend us,’ vol. Ixix. p. 1303. 
at the whole class of Fungi, and the purpose 
served by its members in the economy of nature, we 
may consider them in the light of highly nitrogenized, 
and therefore nutritious material, their special office be¬ 
ing to convert organized material into organic mould, 
serviceable for the growth and nourishment of the more 
highly organized plants, while their own growth is sup¬ 
ported by the nitrogenous elements of their nidus. 
The phenomenon of their growth may be simply illus¬ 
trated by observation of the yeast-plant in the fer¬ 
mentation of beer, or of the vinegar-plant in the produc¬ 
tion of vinegar. Both these Fungi are species of My co¬ 
derma, and, speaking generally, they grow in a fluid 
containing nitro-hydro-carbonaceous material mixed 
with variable quantities of accidental elements and com¬ 
pounds, and, by appropriating to themselves the nitro¬ 
genous element, they leave the hydro-carbonaceous 
atoms to rearrange themselves. But it happens that in 
the progress of these changes an alkaloid, or sometimes 
probably more than one, is often developed, and may be 
taken up by the fungus. These alkaloids are all more 
or less aerial, and according to the degree of their 
acridity they render the fungi containing them more or 
less poisonous. 
The material forming the nidus affects the character 
of the alkaloid. Specimens of the same species of Aga - 
ricus grown in different beds -will vary in acidity to a 
degree corresponding with the nature and composition 
of the bed in which they have been raised. Climate 
also appears to possess considerable influence in the pro¬ 
duction and assimilation of the alkaloids in fungi, since 
many species may be eaten without risk in one coun¬ 
try, while in another the same species are markedly 
poisonous. 
The mushroom we use commonly in England, for in¬ 
stance, is held to be poisonous in Italy, and prohibited in 
the Italian markets ; while in Paris the only species 
allowed in the markets is the Agaricus campestris , except¬ 
ing-, of course, the truffle ( Taber eestivum ) and morel 
(Morchella esculenta). Boletus cdulis has, however, been 
cultivated in the south of France. The mushroom most 
highly esteemed in this country is the Agaricus campes¬ 
tris , of which the pileus is fleshy and dry, plano-convex, 
flesh-coloured, becoming brow-n; the stem is stuffed and 
even, with a white ring, somewhat torn, placed about 
its middle; the gills are free. In some parts of the 
country the Agaricus arvensis is much prized, but it is 
coarser, and more likely to be acrid-. It is white, after¬ 
wards becoming a pinkish-brown, and it often attains an 
enormous size. 
A third variety is the Marekmius oreacles , or cham¬ 
pignon, which may usually be eaten wfith impunity; it, 
hownver, is sometimes very acrid, and requires to be ga¬ 
thered w-ith judgment, for Marasmius urens, which often 
grows in the same meadow, is of very much the same 
appearance, and is particularly acrid. The last-named, 
however, is darker, and has narrower gills. 
In France, the ordinary mushroom, Agaricus campestris, 
is in common use, as already stated; Boletus edulis has 
also been cultivated, and is thought much of. The ap¬ 
pearance of this fungus, however, is against it; it is 
high-coloured, watery-looking, and forbidding. The 
truffle ( Tuber cibarium ) is considered an exceptional deli¬ 
cacy, and is much sought after. 
It is not, however, the epicurean view of the subject 
we now desire to take, but the practical and interesting 
question how to distinguish non-poisonous fungi from 
those which are poisonous. The duty of gathering 
mushrooms for commercial purposes usually falls to the 
share of the uneducated. They, with a little experience, 
and provided they exercise due care, are morely likely to 
discriminate than educated persons, or even sometimes 
than the botanist, paradoxical as this may appear; be¬ 
cause, from their daily practice, they are familiar with 
both the good and the bad growing in their neighbour¬ 
hood. But accidents do occur, and will continue to 
