The historical, botanical and chemical aspects of hallucinogenic mushroom are well described (Lincoff & Mitchell, 1977; Cooper, 1980). The use of hallucinogenic mushroom stretches back as far as ancient Aztec civilisation and it has become fashionable in the West since the 1950s, with publicity from popular writers such as Aldous Huxley and Carlos Castenada (Huxley, 1976; Castenada, 1970)....
1 We have reviewed the clinical features and management of 44 consecutive patients presenting to hospital over a 5 week period during an outbreak of ingestion of psilocybin containing mushrooms. 2 Patients presented to hospital usually because of dysphoric effects an average of 3.8 h after ingesting the mushrooms. 3 Mydriasis was present in 40 patients but fewer than half showed other...
1 The nature of an aerosol and the techniques that have been used to obtain altered states of consciousness by deliberately inhaling the contents are described. 2 The development of the phenomenon, first in the USA, and subsequently in the UK is traced. 3 The consultation between Government Departments and the British Aerosol Manufacturers Association (BAMA) is outlined, and the decisions...