Russula

Russula.

Russula foetens. N. O. Fungi. Tincture of the fresh mushrooms.

Blindness. Chorea. Convulsions. Enuresis.

Some species of Russula are edible, and are much esteemed as a food on the Continent. Alphonse Barrelet observed the effects of eating cooked Russula foetens, which produced a very severe poisoning. Hallucinations, muscular tremors, and clonic spasms recall the effects of Agaric. The eye symptoms were even more pronounced, complete blindness lasting many days occurred, with this peculiarity of the pupil, that it was sometimes normal, sometimes dilated, and sometimes contracted.

Pupils at one time normal, at another: dilated, at another contracted.—Consciousness returned on third day, patient could hear but was completely blind.

Cyanosis.

Involuntary micturition.

Dyspnoea.

Pulse small and contracted.

Constant trembling of muscles, at times interrupted by tonic contractions, increasing to general clonic spasms with complete loss of consciousness.—Patient recovered after two or three weeks.

The attack was followed by pseudo-erysipelas on elbows and painless furuncles over whole body, esp. on scapulae and small of back.