detached. The pain got better, but returned with redoubled violence when the part healed. The lower part of the tumour then increased in size; it was poulticed, and in a short time burst, and discharged a large quantity of purulent matter. In the beginning of November it healed and the pain returned, extending to the ear of the same side. Blisters were applied continuously to the arm, and before Christmas she was well.

The patient said she had eaten mushrooms the day preceding her first indisposition. She said her pudenda and mamma had become enlarged and painful previous to her throat being affected, after which they ceased to trouble her.

8. Medical and Physical Journal, 1808, vol. xx, p. 457.

By John Parrott. Poisoning by Agaricus glutinosus (Curtis, Lond., fasc. 3, t. 69), — semiglobatus (Withering, 3rd ed, vol. iv, p. 270).

On October 10th six persons (William Atwood, æt. 45, Eliza, æt. 38, Mary, æt. 14, Hannah, æt. 11, Sarah, æt. 7, Eliza, æt. 5) ate them stewed in an iron vessel at 1 pm. Within ten minutes they felt their spirits exhilarated, and the eldest daughter said to her mother," How funny you look." About 6 p.m. they were seized with stupor, which was not of long continuance; this was soon succeeded by violent pain in the bowels, accompanied with violent vomiting and copious purging, which lasted till the following afternoon.

12th.-Mary so far recovered as to walk a quarter of a mile. In the evening the symptoms returned. The 13th evening she became convulsed, and died at 2 a.m. of 14th.

Hannah recovered after severe vomiting and purging.

Eliza (the child) became convulsed when Mary did, and died half an hour after her.

Sarah had continual extreme pain in bowels, worse on pressure. She died in convulsions on the morning of 15th.

On 14th the vomiting still continued in the parents. On the same night the mother miscarried (she was two months pregnant). They both recovered.

During this time the pulse in each patient was quickened, and varied from 100 to 120. Tongue parched and slightly streaked with white. Urine was secreted in very small quantity.

9. Medical and Physical Journal, 1808, vol xx, pp. 566-7.

Case of poisoning quoted (not translated) from Journal de l'Empire of December 7th, 1808.

Case of poisoning (probably) is reported by P. de Bruyn.

The mushrooms which caused these symptoms were characterised by their pyramidal cacumen and tortuous stem; they became gluish on being bruised. They were probably the Agaricus cacumenatus of Withering.

A man and his wife ate some, and were almost immediately attacked with giddiness, headache, redness of conjunctivæ, and dilated pupils. The woman had also slight insensibility and stretching out of the arms and legs, so that it was not without difficulty she could be made to sit down.

10. Medical and Physical Journal, 1811, vol. xxv, p. 123. Reference made to Pennant, Art. Zoo., i, 118, for effects of Agaricus muscarius.

11. Lancet, 1856, vol. i, p. 716.

An intemperate man ate some mushrooms on August 26th, after which he had pain in bowels. On 28th complained that his stomach ached at 9.30 a.m., and went to bed again. At 2.30 p.m. there was slight tenderness on pressure over the stomach, which appeared somewhat puffed and bulging out the epigastric region. Some agitation of the hands. At 10 p.m. he was dead. Post mortem.-Body very much decomposed. Abdomen externally appeared greatly distended. Some injection of the vessels of the great omentum near to the great curvature of the stomach. Mucous membrane of stomach highly congested, especially at its larger end, where it was of a dusky-red colour. Esophagus inflamed. It was the opinion of the surgeon who saw him that the mushrooms augmented a chronic inflammation of the stomach caused by intemperate habits.

12. Medical and Physical Journal, 1815, vol. xxxii, p. 364. By Dr. J. Adam.

Some children ate some Agaricus muscarius (described by Lightfoot in his Flora Scotica).

CASE 1.—A girl, æt. 8. October 9th. This patient had eaten one the previous evening and six more this day at 3 pm. About 5 p.m., after tea, she complained slightly of soreness of abdo

men. On moving across the room she cried out that she felt giddy, and instantly fell down senseless and motionless. When carried to bed she uttered a wild cry and her eyes looked fierce. Emetics were given without effect. At 6.15 p.m. she was stretched out in bed comatose, countenance somewhat swollen and of a ghastly leaden aspect; pulse greatly intermittent and tremulous, and scarcely to be felt; eyes pulled up towards the angles of the orbits and fixed immovably in their sockets; occasional startings of limbs, and severe convulsive motions of the head and upper part of the trunk. There was complete unconsciousness. The whole body was unusually cold; heart's action greatly laboured. Cold water was now dashed on the chest. Making a sudden start, which raised her head from the pillow, she opened her eyes, and for a few seconds stared wildly around. An injection was given, which caused a free evacuation; also the emetic was repeated and warmth applied, &c. The power of swallowing was much impaired. The emetic caused her once to vomit a little mucus mixed with saliva. This roused her, but she quickly relapsed into her former lethargic state, and the symptoms increased, the convulsions becoming more violent, longer in their duration, and recurring at shorter intervals, and the coldness and rigidity were extreme. Ammonia was given her and rubbed on the face, and rum-and-water given. The jaw was rigid, and the muscles of pharynx and gullet paralysed; there were involuntary motions of head while giving the medicine. Heat was applied and cold water dashed on chest; the latter application was followed by a violent movement of the upper parts of the body and a wild kind of scream, and the pulse became for a little more regular and fuller. A turpentine enema brought away a fetid copious motion. Stimulants were continued, and the pulse became regular but weak and quick, being above 130. In three hours' time there was no change, except in the pulse. She was put into a warm bath for ten minutes, and her pulse then became fuller and less quick, being reduced to 80. Mustard was applied to stomach and soles. Soon a general perspiration broke out, and the heat of the body was sensibly increased to the touch though yet below the normal standard; the extremities were even more convulsed, and the muscles of the calf became permanently contracted, and felt under the hand rigid and hard; but the upper part of the body was much less affected than at

first. Pulse got quicker again, seldom continuing steady for half an hour, but the breathing was natural with the exception of a strange sound once or twice emitted. The mustard was removed after two hours and had produced redness of skin. Some colour now appeared in the face, and she seemed much better. The starting of the limbs occurred less frequently, and at twelve I considered her out of danger. The skin was moist, body more warm, pulse 125 to 130. In twenty minutes was in a sound sleep, breathing easily, face a little flushed, and the convulsions affecting her at longer intervals. She continued in the same profound sleep without change, except that a considerable sweat broke out, till 5.20 a.m., when she first opened her eyes and turned the eye in the orbit, seeming to look around her without any consciousness of perception. She then fell back again and slept till 6.45 a.m., when, suddenly starting up, she threw down the bedclothes, calling out at the same time to take them off from her, and seemed quite sensible. She then vomited up some of the mushrooms. She then asked for drink, and complained much of a soreness of the head and neck, so that she could not swallow. Afterwards she vomited more, and had ineffectual retching. In the morning her pulse was 120, weak, but regular. Now and then during the day she had involuntary motions of the legs. Thirst considerable; pulse in afternoon 110. During the night slept nearly as usual, but with frequent startings. On 11th took breakfast with appetite; pulse 100, small. On 14th pulse was irregular.

CASE 2.-A boy, æt. 8, ate one, which was rejected by vomiting.

CASE 3.-A boy, æt. 9, ate one, and during the night had soreness of the abdomen.

CASE 4.-A boy, æt. 4, ate some. On evening of same day had pain in belly, which lasted all next day.

CASE 5.-A boy, æt. 3, ate some. He was taken ill the same evening, vomited and purged much, belly swollen and tense, cold sweats broke out in different parts, and the body generally was colder than normal; great thirst. He ate some more next day, and again in the evening had vomiting and purging; for several days afterwards he loathed his food.

In Case 4 it had a chronic effect. All the winter he had diarrhoea, and frequent convulsive affections, particularly of the

arms and face; he became emaciated and pale, and lost all relish for food.

13. Medical and Physical Journal, 1816, vol. xxxvi, p. 451. By Dr. G. Glyn.

Oct. 16th.-A man ate some Agaricus campanulatus (Linnæus). In about eight or ten minutes sudden dimness or mist before the eyes, lightness and giddiness of head, with a general trembling and loss of power, so that he nearly fell off his chair; to this succeeded loss of recollection, he forgot where he was, and all the circumstances of the case. This loss of memory soon passed off, and he endeavoured to go for assistance, but on his way his memory again failed him, and he lost the road though he knew it well. When I saw him his countenance showed great anxiety; he could scarcely stand, but reeled about like a drunkard; no pain, except transient twitches in his legs; much giddiness, and greatly inclined to sleep; pulse slow and feeble. An emetic was given, but vomiting did not take place for twenty minutes. During this time his sleepiness increased so much that he was only kept awake by obliging him to walk round the room by support; he also at this time had distressing pains in the calves. After vomiting he felt better, but continued drowsy. 17th.-Sleepiness almost gone.

languor.

Only great weakness and

14. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 1852, vol. xlv, p. 288.

Two officers of the Belgian Cuirassiers at Bruges died on October 10th from eating mushrooms. A few hours after eating them they were seized with a horrible and agonising colic. After suffering the most horrible agonies the whole night, during which one of them broke his back from the violence of the convulsions, they both died towards morning. The species seems to have been the Agaricus campestris.

15. Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 1859, vol. lix, p. 78. By J. M. Harlow, M.D.

Four persons, a man, his wife, and two children (a boy, æt. 10, and a girl, æt. 7), ate some mushrooms on the evening of July 27th, 1858. In the morning of next day the girl complained of a pain in occipital region, with dizziness and nausea,