PACTS AND OBSERVATIONS. 
679 
portant matter to become acquainted with such species, so 
far, at least, as to be able to recognise them, to describe their 
structure, to know the positions in the vegetable kingdom, 
and the general properties which they possessed? Would it 
not be lowering the medical profession beneath that of the 
meanest trade if the members of it were in the habit of 
making use of substances in their daily practice when they 
were at the same time ignorant of everything that was most 
essential in their history? If they regard only the dilferent 
plants which they found wild in this country, a knowledge of 
botany ought by no means to be despised; for it should be 
remembered that many important articles of the materia 
niedica are obtained from them. But such knowledge would 
become of vastly more importance to them if hereafter called 
upon to pursue their profession abroad, more especially so if 
the country in which they might be located should be almost 
or entirely unexplored. 
Poisonous Mushrooms.—M. Gerard has, by experi¬ 
ments on himself and others, proved that poisonous fungi 
may be rendered innocuous by the following process. To 
every pound of mushrooms, cut into moderately small pieces, 
add two pints of water, acidulated with an ounce or an 
ounce and a half of vinegar, and two table-spoonfuls of bay 
salt. In this fluid they should be allowed to macerate for 
two full hours; then well washed, and subsequently boiled 
in water for twenty minutes or half an hour; which is to be 
repeated again and again, when they may be dried and 
served, either alone or as a condiment. 
The active principle of Veratrum Viride. —Mr. 
G. S. Scattergood, of Philadelphia, has ascertained by experi¬ 
ment that the root of this plant contains only 30 grains in 
the pound of veratria, but a comparatively large quantity, 
300 grains to the pound, of a resinous principle. Both were 
separately administered to dogs, and by both the charac¬ 
teristic symptoms of poisoning by veratria w^ere produced ; 
but the resin causes by far the most rapid and marked reduc¬ 
tion of the pulse. 
Potash obtained from Animals. —The wmol of the 
sheep contains this salt; and recently M. Maumene, a French 
chemist, by subjecting it to the action of cold soft w^ater, has 
obtained from it a kind of greasy soap, which, being heated 
to redness, a very fine carbonate of potash results, samples 
of which were showm in the late International Exhibition. 
