lewis@aera2.mitre.org (Keith Lewis) writes:
: In article <2r5qe9$k2b@nntp.ucs.ubc.ca>, dave@downie.commerce.ubc.ca (David Downie) writes:
: >
: >Well, I have it on _very_ good authority that the mushrooms ingested were  
: >Aminita Pantherina and they were not the cause of death.  The boy had aspirated  
: >on his vomit.  There was no evidence of mushroom poisoning.
: 
: Unless he had the flu at the time, I would call vomiting evidence of *some*
: sort of poisoning.  Aminita Pantherina is very poisonous.

He certainly had nausea.  However, it is not deadly, except in large
doses. To quote David Arora in "Mushrooms Demystified":

"... several are hallucinogenic and/or poisonous but not normally fatal
(A. muscaria and A. pantherina); ..." page 264 softbound

"EDIBILITY: Poisonous! It contains the same toxins as A. muscaria, but
apparently in higher concentrations--large doses can be fatal! It is said
to be one of the most common causes of mushroom poisoning in the Pacific
Northwest." page 280

"IBOTENIC ACID/MUSCIMOL

   Mushrooms: Amanita muscaria, A. pantherina, A. gemmata.

  There are many contraindications in the literature regarding the principal
toxins of Amanita muscaria and A. pantherina. Muscarine was originally believed
to be the toxin, and then bufotenine was put forth as a candidate. It turns
out, however, that the main active principle is ibotenic acid, which is
converted by the human body into muscimol, a more powerful form that passes out
in the urine.
  ... (material on A. muscaria)
  Amanita muscaria is erroneously listed in older books as deadly poisonous.
It can be fatal in large doses, but so can practically any poisonous mushroom.
According to most sources, A. pantherina is somewhat more dangerous, while
A. gemmata is less so. Deliberate ingestion of these mushrooms has increased
now that it has been shown that they are not as dangerous as once believed.
However, their effects vary greatly from person to person. As people's
metabolisms are different and the concentrations of the toxins vary from
mushroom to mushroom, there is no way of predicting what one's reaction will
be. Some people experience extreme discomfort, others have vivid dreams, still
others experience no effects whatsoever. The ingestion of these mushrooms is
definitely not recommended here. Incidentally, not all the toxins have been
identified. For instance, neither pure ibotenic acid or muscimol produce the
nausea and vomiting that frequently occurs after eating A. muscaria.

Symptoms and Treatment

  Symptoms normally appear 30 minutes to 2 hours after ingestion, and last for
several hours. Nausea and vomiting are common, but the principle effects are
on the central nervous system: confusion, mild euphoria, loss of muscular
coordination, profuse sweating, chills, visual distortions, a feeling of
great strength, and sometimes hallucinations, delusions, or convulsions. (An
inordinate number of "trippers" mistake themselves for Christ). Drowsiness
is also a common phenomenon. In fact, those who ingest A. muscaria frequently
fall asleep ("swoon"), to awaken hours later with little or no memory of their
experiences. There is no "hangover" effect as with alcohol, but most people
who try it (including myself) donot wish to repeat the experience. ...

...Treatment of muscimol poisoning is largely supportive -- reassuring the
victim that the effects are temporary. In the mistaken belief that muscarine
was the principle toxin, older texts prescribed atropine as an antidode.
Atropine, however, is likely to exacerbate the effects if ibotenic acid/
muscimol." pages 894-5

So, current wisdom is, smaller doses not very inlikely to be fatal. However,
great care should be exercised, if a person decides to experiment.

: >Of course.  The media also have a vested interest in making the story look  
: >sensationalistic.  How many high school kids die of alcohol poisoning every  
: >year?  How many do we hear about?  "Magic mushroom poisonings" make for great  
: >headlines...
: 
: Yes, but it would be incorrect.  He probably intended to ingest Aminita
: Muscaria, the less toxic cousin of A. Pantherina.  In the US, I would avoid
: the whole stinking genus -- Bob Cain almost died from A. Muscaria.

See above. In general, I would agree.  It is easy to confuse the various
varieties, and the amount of toxins do vary quite a bit.

: But these aren't "magic mushrooms"!  The psilocybin mushrooms enjoyed by
: deadheads are in the Psilocybe genus.  The psychoactive componant is a
: completely different chemical.  There is no way one could confuse the two
: genii, unless one were in the news media.

Yep - with the confusion sometimes being intentional.

Bill