The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-29

seems to be partially removed by heat ana
entirely so by boiling. as a dog has been
known TO exist on boiled fly agarics for
weeks. while the smallest quantity Of the
decoction would have killed IL la a day.
Although the fly agarlc is highly poison
Gus In this country. where instances are
recorded OF its having proved fatal :"
many who have eaten a., II is largely
consumed in the North OF Russia and In
Scandinavia. The peasantry about Nice
and in Savoy are also said to use it as
food. II Is either eaten fresh or dried
and strung for winter use. but before
being used 1t is well macerated in salt ana
vinegar until all the poisonous properties
are extracted. Whether the plant is less
active on the continent than with us or
whether the poisonous principle is render
ed inert by the process which IL under
goes is uncertain. Frederic Gerard.
Frenchman, maintains that the amanidne,
or muscarine, as the poison of this mush
room is named, in particular can be entire-
ly dissolved out of the tissues of the plane
by first soaking Il for some hours In salt
and water and afterward boiling IL in fresh
water before being dressed and eaten In
the presence Of a commission appointed by
the Sanitary Association of Paris he show
ed the means OF eliminating the noXious
principles from these deadly plants and no
and his family made plentiful repast OF
the mushrooms so prepared. This mode
VI HAtHdi dllpu OF POISONOUS mushrooms
is not always effective, for cases arc on
record of persons losing their lives from
eating the fly agaric SO prepared, The
wife of the Car Alexis l died after par
taking of the mushroom prepared for her
during Lent. The poison Is not killed or
rendered inert by this process, but Is sim
ply dissolved entirely out of the fbers
of the mushrooms aud held in solution by
the water as active as ever. There seems
no doubt, however, that the plant is eaten
on the continent, for Cooke says that two
instances have come under his notice or
persons possessed of some botanical
knowledge who had resided in Russia and
had there portaken of this mushroom.
The Ostacks the Kamtschatdales and
other inhabitants OF Asiatic Russia use IL
as an intoXicant, It's Intoxicating power
is strongest when eaten raw. Langsdorh
says the most powerful effect IS produced
by drying The fungus and swallowing e
without mastiCation This seems to bring
on state OF iuebriation closely bordering
upon delirium, and is usually accompanied
more or less with spasmodic affections II
is decocted with the runners of the will
low-herb Epiobium augustifollum or the
fruit of the whortleberry Vaccinium ullg-
inosum, and made into a highly intoxicat-
ing liquor called monka mohr by the Rus
slams. This practice, common enough
among the tribes of Northern Asiatic Rus
STA, is now confined almost entirely TO the
nomadic Koriakes, a people inhabiting the
region near the Gulf of Penyhinsk Behr-
ing Strait. The intoxicating liquor from
this mushroom was much used among all
the tribes of Northern Asatic Russia I'M
| I'll they came IN closer contact with the
Russians from whom they learned the hab-
| 1t of drinking spirits.
KEENAN, says that the habitual use Of
| this liquor completely skaters the nervous
system, and its sale by Russian traders to
| the natives has been made penal offense
Like the opium trade in China, however
| in spite of the strongest prohibitions a
| profitable business is done The mush-
| room does not grow on the barren steppes
| over which these nomadic tribes wander
| and the Russian trader can demand almost
| fabulous prices for the intoxicating mush-
| rooms. A reindeer may be had In exchange
| for one or two mushrooms, and twenty dol
| lars worth of furs may be bought with
a single specimen. They are generally col
| lected In hot weather and strung up to
| dry, but they are more priced when found
| already dried on the ground. In the lat
| ter case their intoxicating qualities are
| more powerful than when artificially pre-
| pared. When naturally dried the mush-
room Is rolled up like bolus and swallow
| ed by the natives without masticatfon.
| which they say disorders the stomach
One large or two small specimens swat
| lowed whole are sufficient TO produce a
| pleasant intoxication for a whole day and
| II water be drunk Immediately after the
| narcotic principle is increased and the
| sensation prolonged. Three or four mush-
rooms diluted in a decoction Of willowherb
or whortleberry would make a large com
pany drunk.
SO enduring are the effects of this poison
that persons have been intoxicated by
eating the flesh of a reindeer which had
been killed shortly after feeding upon the
mushroom. and children have been poison
ed with the milk of women under the IN
nuence of this intoxicant The desired
narcotic effect comes on from one 70 two
hours after the mushroom has been swai-
| lowed. A wild and furious excitement Is
produced, but does not seem to be followed
by any unpleasant results. In some cases
the symptoms are often accompanied by
| extraordinary agility and enormous IN
| crease in muscular strength. Instances
| are recorded of men under the influence of
this poison running ten miles carrying on
their backs a sack of flour weighing 100
pounds, which In their normal condition
they could barely lift. These people per-
sonify this mushroom and assert that they
are only obeying it's behests when they
commit suicide or other crimes under It's
| influence. They have recourse to the use
of this intoxicant when they wish TO forth
fy themselves for premeditated assassi-
nation.
The acrid principle possessed by this
mushroom is the same as that which is
found in hashish and Indian hemp 1t is
one of the commonest of Scandinavian
have been long acquainted with its intoxl-
eating properties
No 1910 Chartered 1svo.