ALKALOIDS OF THE POISONOUS MUSHROOMS.

Schrader, after some experiments made in 1811, stated that the poisonous principle of the "Fly mushroom," Amanita muscaria, seemed to be combined with its red coloring matter and might be extracted by water or aqueous alcohol, but that it was not soluble in ether.

Vaquelin, as the result of more extended investigations made in 1813, expressed the opinion that this poison was not confined to the coloring matter of the mushroom, but that it was an integral part of the fatty constituents not only of muscaria but of several species of mushrooms. In 1826 and 1830, and again in 1867, important investigations were made and published by Letellier relating to the medical and poisonous properties of mushrooms growing around Paris. Letellier's early investigations led him to the conclusion that there were two poisons contained in certain fungi—(1) an acrid principle easily destroyed by drying or boiling or by maceration in alcohol or in alkaline solution, and (2) a peculiar poisonous alkaloid found only in certain of the Amanita group. Letellier in 1866 named this latter alkaloid amanitin. He then considered it to be the active poison of Amanita muscaria, Amanita phalloides, and Amanita verna, but a subsequent analysis by the German chemists Schmiedeberg and Koppe showed the amanitin of Letellier to be identical with cholin, a substance found in bile. Kobert says that amanitin is non-poisonous in itself, but states that it may be changed on decay of the mushroom to the muscarin-like acting neurin, which is highly poisonous. He thinks it highly probable that nearly all of the edible and non-edible mushrooms contain pure amanitin (cholin) partly in primitive condition and partly in a more intricate organic connection, as lecithin. It has been demonstrated that amanitin separates very readily from lecithin during the decay or careless drying of mushrooms and changes into the poisonous neurin; hence the necessity of using mushrooms only when perfectly fresh or when quickly dried.