One of the commonest forms of poisoning is from _opium_ in the form of morphine, paregoric or laudanum. When this happens the stomach should be washed out by water frequently, even where the drug was administered hypodermatically. This is best accomplished by causing vomiting by warm water to which a small amount of mustard has been added. The patient should be given strong coffee or tea at frequent intervals, and artificial respiration should be practiced. Where it is possible to obtain it, permanganate of potash in a watery solution should be given, enough of the chemical being used to make the water a deep purple color; this may be frequently repeated, as the substance is not poisonous in ordinary doses, and destroys morphine and other alkaloids of opium very rapidly. _It should never be forgotten that infants and children are poisoned by comparatively very small doses of opium, and consequently nothing containing any derivative of this substance should be given them except on the advice of a competent doctor._ Many soothing syrups advertised for the relief of the minor ailments of children contain opium, and there can be no doubt that many deaths have occurred as a consequence of taking such nostrums. _Mushroom poisoning_ in this country is relatively rare, but there are quite a number of popular notions on this subject that are totally incorrect, chief among which is the idea that there is a difference between mushrooms and toad-stools, the former being generally regarded as edible, and the latter poisonous. As a matter of fact, those conversant with this subject make no distinction between the two, using the terms toad-stool and mushroom as interchangeable. It is likewise a common error to suppose that we possess any tests by which the poisonous toad-stools can be told from those that are wholesome. Although a skilled student of the subject can almost at a glance determine which are poisonous and which are not, it is hazardous in the extreme to consume those selected by one who is inexperienced. As a matter of fact, for all practicable purposes, there is only one species that is generally eaten,--the _Agaricus campestris_, or meadow mushroom. This grows for the most part in open fields, and in many parts of the world may be gathered in great number throughout the warmer seasons immediately following rains. This mushroom has also the great advantage that it is the only one of the edible species that can be cultivated. Just as we have only one common mushroom that is ordinarily eaten, there is only one common species of these plants that is highly dangerous,--the _Amanita phalloides_, which contains one of the most deadly poisons known--and one for which we possess no adequate antidote. This mushroom is very common, being frequently seen along the roadside, and at the edges of fields; it also grows in forests, and is occasionally encountered in treeless areas.