The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-08-12
NO. 81.

From the Lancaster Weekly Times.
Fungus Flower Growing from a Boys Leg.
1t appears that a certain child of this
place, at two years of age, became aflic-
ted with the hip disease, and fingered on
aud grew, having attained to the age of
fourteen years at the period Of bis death,
two weeks since. During period of nine
months previous to bis death numerous
abcesses were formed, aud the lad was
nearly reduced to a skeleton. 4 day or
two previous ohis death, during the night,
double stem and two flowers grew from
| the calf Of one of bis legs, a little below
the knee joint, the limb being apparently
much swollen. The writer states that
"huudreds of seeds were found in the
room after the boys death, similar to
those of the "passion dower." and that all
"say the flower resembles the passion
rose
The attending physician, DIR. Hawley,
deemed it SO wonderful as to require 9TH
er witnesses to testify to the fact, and he
accordingly called in Dr. Stevens, the Rev.
Mr. Walker and others.
This flower fungus grew in one night
to the height of three and half inches,
and has since been sent to New York,
where it is undergoing thorough inves-
tigation, and will no doubt be autographed
and described by those having better
opportunity to enter ilto the minuta.
As to the seeds like those of the passion
fower-it is obvious there must be some
mistake-since it requires weeks to ma
ture the pulpy fruit in which the seed is
contained, and to flower the fruit in on5
night is altogether out of the question,
except in Fungi. | must say that to me
it appears a mere fungus, and have seen
similar productions on a similar scale
grow from insects. But the pleasure of
mystery is so charming that one feels
loath to dispel it; and the passion Aow-
err was so named (Passifora) from being
supposed to represent, in the appendages
of the flower, the passion of our Saviour.
DR., Lindley. illustrated one or two spe-
cies of sph@ria-oDe a celebrated remedy
among the Chinese, much praised in Du
Halde's book another of larger size, the
Spheria Robertsii, growing from a large
caterpillar of New Zealand moth called
Hepialus Virescens. The stripe grows to
the length of six or eight inches, with a
dense spike of sporules, and side buds,
springing from the head Of the caterpillar.
Dutrochet has witnessed the growth of
a species Of fungi (Pcnicil,rm) frcm glob-
ulcs of milk, and every entimologist, who
had suffered his insects TO remain in a
damp place, has to bis sorrow found them
covered with fungi in a short time, of
which | have an ample collection nov on
hand
Mr.Grabam attributes the rapid destruc-
ton caused By fungi amongst living It's
sue, not to the mere exhaustion consequent
on their nutrition, but to the agency of
dead myoelium acting as putrefactive
ferment.
Nous. Robins has published work in
French, proving the effects of fungi on
animal structures, and showing that many
cutaneous diseases are attended with the
growth of fungi, such as the case 1Iuscar-
djue, P0lr{go Iapln0SG, and others.
All admit that few subjects are more
obscure than the cause of the production
of parasite fungi. The searching power
of the microscope has failed to reveal the
minute productive bodies of such fungi.
Whether in gaseous state or an elemen-
tary principle, resulting under certain con-
di;ions in their formation, is a matter Of
doubt and speculation; nor will it be phil
osophically known until greater improve
meDts are made in optics, that wonderful
source which has already revealed what
was equally mysterious to early naViga~
tors.
]. STAUFFER.
Lancaster, July 18th, 1858.