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A case of honey fungus poisoning
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BOOK REVIEWS & NOTICES Reviews and all publications for review should be sent to Dr Michele A J Williams , CAB International Mycological Institute, Ferry Lane, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AF Moulds and Health. By Y Al-Doory & S Ramsey (1987). Charles C Thomas, Springfield, USA. Th is is a curious book, it reads like a text-book of mycotic diseases yet its aim is to educate the public , not the scientist or physician. Certainly the contents are not sufficiently detailed to compete with the professional text in medical mycology. The authors, one a mycologi st and the other a journalist, have dedicated their efforts to 'all compromised patients' , stating that it is intended to educate the public to avoid contracting mycoses and fung al allergies sinc e treatm ent is 'not very safe and suc cessful at present' . With these aims we should not criticize the total lack of references [except for a short list of textbooks], nor the absence of the more usual details to aid clinical and laboratory diagnostic procedures . Having said that, one wonders which section of 'public' would read it. Probably th e most obviou s would be workers in occupational health , since man y of the diseases described are associated with environmental conditions. The text is readable and well presented. with each topic not prob ing current knowl edge too deeply , leaving an impression rem iniscen t of th e 'family doctor ' type of book. In some ways it seems artificial , since the only th ing to unite such conditions as basid iomycete allerg y with infections complicatin g leukemia is the fungal nature of the agent. This would be an understandable practice in an academic text intended for the profession , but no
attempt is made to tell th e public what similar conditions may be due to other agents . Should not the potential patient be equally on guard against bacterial and other hazards? The book is in six parts; the part played by moulds and yeasts in our lives; an overview of immunity and disease processes ; infections (five chapters describing the major mycoti c cond itions; allergy and env ironmental param eters ; the part of the body likel y to be infected and predisposing illnesses; the risk factors for non-predisposed people and scope for prevention or treatment) . Some of the more refreshing and possibly more oppressive areas of the book come in the section on prevention, for instance gardeners should wear gloves at all times, as well as other prote ctive garments [boots, heavy fabric clothes, etc). 'It is not unusual to observe gardeners going barefoot, wearing shorts and Tshirts ... sitting on cut grass, etc , exposing bare body to contact with plants and shrubs that are loaded with all kinds of fungal spores' . Also, masks should be worn by thos e who delight in looking through attics for family souvenir s. Whilst not denying these can be haz ards , the rarit y of mycoses originating from such beh aviour surely must be considered in assessing the precautions necessary . In summary I applaud the aims of the auth ors to educate people in fung al hazards, but I feel the textbook is less likely to be read than popular articles in the more eph emeral press. C K Campbell
CORRESPONDENCE A Case of Honey Fungus Poisoning Having sa mp led a number of fun gi over the yea rs , some with pleasure, many w ith ind ifference , and having seen fora yers co llecting basket s of Armillaria mellea for th e pot , I consid ered it high time to extend my culinary rep ertoire by trying this species. On 13 November 198 9, I noticed a fine crop in a neighbour's garden but could not collect it without attracting curious attention. At the first opportunity (16th November], I crept out and collected a box full , prepared the best, sauted them in butter and had th em on toast. Delicious! In th e night , I suffered stomach pains and nausea for se ve ra l hours , no vomiting but diarrhoea next morning . Life then returned to normal though I felt fragile for the rest of th e da y . It happen ed that my friend , Mari o Tortelli, who knows about th ese things called to see me and ,
hearing my woes , aske d to see the rejected bits of Honey Fungus . He confirmed that they had passed their 'pick by ' date and th at on ly the youngest and freshest of caps should be eaten . Only one of the books I have checked spells out this warning (Marchand, A, Champignons du Nord et du Midi, 1971 :88 'Comestible tres estimable, quand on se limite aux seuls chapeaux a pein e eponouis .. .'], though most stress that the species can be dangerous when eaten raw and that it can affect some susceptible persons. Perhaps I am one of the latter. Perhaps it is important to know which segregate of this aggregate species one is eating . I sha ll try the species ag ain - you n g and properly cooked . Meanwhile , my experience ma y be of inte rest to other mycophagists . Peter Hol1and London
BOOK REVIEWS & NOTICES Reviews and all publications for review should be sent to Dr Michele A J Williams , CAB International Mycological Institute, Ferry Lane, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3AF Moulds and Health. By Y Al-Doory & S Ramsey (1987). Charles C Thomas, Springfield, USA. Th is is a curious book, it reads like a text-book of mycotic diseases yet its aim is to educate the public , not the scientist or physician. Certainly the contents are not sufficiently detailed to compete with the professional text in medical mycology. The authors, one a mycologi st and the other a journalist, have dedicated their efforts to 'all compromised patients' , stating that it is intended to educate the public to avoid contracting mycoses and fung al allergies sinc e treatm ent is 'not very safe and suc cessful at present' . With these aims we should not criticize the total lack of references [except for a short list of textbooks], nor the absence of the more usual details to aid clinical and laboratory diagnostic procedures . Having said that, one wonders which section of 'public' would read it. Probably th e most obviou s would be workers in occupational health , since man y of the diseases described are associated with environmental conditions. The text is readable and well presented. with each topic not prob ing current knowl edge too deeply , leaving an impression rem iniscen t of th e 'family doctor ' type of book. In some ways it seems artificial , since the only th ing to unite such conditions as basid iomycete allerg y with infections complicatin g leukemia is the fungal nature of the agent. This would be an understandable practice in an academic text intended for the profession , but no
attempt is made to tell th e public what similar conditions may be due to other agents . Should not the potential patient be equally on guard against bacterial and other hazards? The book is in six parts; the part played by moulds and yeasts in our lives; an overview of immunity and disease processes ; infections (five chapters describing the major mycoti c cond itions; allergy and env ironmental param eters ; the part of the body likel y to be infected and predisposing illnesses; the risk factors for non-predisposed people and scope for prevention or treatment) . Some of the more refreshing and possibly more oppressive areas of the book come in the section on prevention, for instance gardeners should wear gloves at all times, as well as other prote ctive garments [boots, heavy fabric clothes, etc). 'It is not unusual to observe gardeners going barefoot, wearing shorts and Tshirts ... sitting on cut grass, etc , exposing bare body to contact with plants and shrubs that are loaded with all kinds of fungal spores' . Also, masks should be worn by thos e who delight in looking through attics for family souvenir s. Whilst not denying these can be haz ards , the rarit y of mycoses originating from such beh aviour surely must be considered in assessing the precautions necessary . In summary I applaud the aims of the auth ors to educate people in fung al hazards, but I feel the textbook is less likely to be read than popular articles in the more eph emeral press. C K Campbell
CORRESPONDENCE A Case of Honey Fungus Poisoning Having sa mp led a number of fun gi over the yea rs , some with pleasure, many w ith ind ifference , and having seen fora yers co llecting basket s of Armillaria mellea for th e pot , I consid ered it high time to extend my culinary rep ertoire by trying this species. On 13 November 198 9, I noticed a fine crop in a neighbour's garden but could not collect it without attracting curious attention. At the first opportunity (16th November], I crept out and collected a box full , prepared the best, sauted them in butter and had th em on toast. Delicious! In th e night , I suffered stomach pains and nausea for se ve ra l hours , no vomiting but diarrhoea next morning . Life then returned to normal though I felt fragile for the rest of th e da y . It happen ed that my friend , Mari o Tortelli, who knows about th ese things called to see me and ,
hearing my woes , aske d to see the rejected bits of Honey Fungus . He confirmed that they had passed their 'pick by ' date and th at on ly the youngest and freshest of caps should be eaten . Only one of the books I have checked spells out this warning (Marchand, A, Champignons du Nord et du Midi, 1971 :88 'Comestible tres estimable, quand on se limite aux seuls chapeaux a pein e eponouis .. .'], though most stress that the species can be dangerous when eaten raw and that it can affect some susceptible persons. Perhaps I am one of the latter. Perhaps it is important to know which segregate of this aggregate species one is eating . I sha ll try the species ag ain - you n g and properly cooked . Meanwhile , my experience ma y be of inte rest to other mycophagists . Peter Hol1and London