The mushroom poisoning in Vic.... I am gripped

[Dustyblue]

This has been all over the news. I live one town over from Leongatha and believe me, it's the talk of the towns.

We have loads of mushrooms around our place but wouldn't dream of eating them. About 90% of foraged mushrooms in Australia are poisonous.

Then again, you do get groups of people who think they know what they're doing, and perhaps they do.

Meanwhile this is suss-as.

Three people died from suspected mushroom poisoning after sharing a meal. Here's what we know - ABC News

I’m curious as to what these “nightshades” could be. Tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines or capsicums which are in the “nightshade” plant family or something more sinister family members such as deadly nightshade or henbane (Dr Crippen supposedly used a derivative of this plant)

Nightshades don't cause gastro issues IIRC. I am way too invested in this story... I looked at fungi but couldn't find any with intestinal damage as the major/only symptom. I have started looking at poisons chere https://www.msdmanuals.com/en-gb/professional/multimedia/table/symptoms-and-treatment-of-specific-poisons

So far Antimony, Arsenic, or chlorine. None seem particularly likely as antimony is hard to get hold of and I think arsenic would show up on a tox screen. Chlorine would leave telltale burns in the GI tract.

My first thought about the dehydrator was that if I thought I'd accidentally killed my family by dehydrating poisoned mushrooms then I'd be throwing that thing away as far as possible from my house and my remaining family. I'd probably throw away every single kitchen utensil.
But I guess you should keep all evidence for the police.

Slips out of lurking…
One of my sons can’t tolerate nightshade plants - he was worse when he was younger but not to extent of needing hospital admission. Just really smelly horrible diarrhoea. But we do have a strong family history of allergies and intolerances

Aconite is the deadliest ( Henbane Wolfsbane)
I wasn’t aware that was a Nightshade species?

Anything “ Bane” is generally toxic

Aconite is absolutely deadly
There was an inheritance death in U.K.
( Allegedly)
Hilles House, Gloucestershire - a son supposedly poisoned his mother after taking her to London to amend her Will
She died in suspicious circumstances soon afterwards- Son cooked her a meal .

Simon Blow wrote about it.
His side of family disinherited.

The family want the mother disinterred and tested for Aconite.
( Details online)

Aconite (wolfsbane) isn’t in the Solanacae (nightshade) family.

Arsenic most DEFINITELY has a test in stomach contents .

I’m way too interested in this thread, too.
Poisoning by arsenic was considered ideal, as tasteless.
People could be killed by Arsenic in their wallpaper and paint, especially if said wallpaper got damp.
Those magnificent William Morris wallpapers had Arsenic in them ( reds and greens) Copper arsenate -
“ Bitten by Witch Fever” is a beautiful book with copies of these wallpapers in.

Mice.

The mice appear to want to kill you in Australia. Millions of mice is possibly the most horrifc thing I've ever seen.

Phttps://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1260482/Alexander-McQueen-Simon-Blow-house-inspired-designer.html

You might have an entire continent that's trying to kill everyone, but you also have the Quokka. PLEASE don't tell me quokkas are dangerous, toxic, fiends too.

@oakleaffy that books sounds lovely. I'll need to look it up.

As for the ex, yy originally their 'friendly source' hinted they thought his illness was mushroom poisoning then moved to the nightshades theory. But medical experts said neither fitted the ex's symptoms. Which is possibly why the ex distanced himself from the 'friendly source's theories about his 'possible 'poisoning'.

Don't they throw their babies at predators?

She was deliberately trying to hide the evidence from the police. She admits that herself in the statement that she leaked to the media. She claims she was scared she would lose custody of her children. She did however give some of the leftovers to hospital toxicologists for examination.

Some of the earlier news reports said that Erin had disposed of the food dehydrator the day after the meal. So if that's true, nobody had died yet. The four guests were admitted to the hospital earlier that day with food poisoning symptoms and it was several days later that three of them died.

Nothing 'new' to report really. Other than confirmation of Erin's kids' names & ages, and which properties she owns. Most of that has been previously reported, tis just that the Australian media get details wrong much of the time.

Speculation here is pretty much the same as anywhere, just with a few local details ticked off. General feeling is "she must have done it, there's no other reasonable explanation". And a bit of anger about her lies and bringing disrespect to the towns, the local rag 'Burra Flyer' and all involved in that, and the family in general.

Sigh, we must wait.

I loathe mice too, but millions of them as a plague is rare. Although it did happen in NSW last year... apparently it was like driving over bubble-wrap.

It really is a gorgeous book if you love 19th Century design - It's received very good mainstream reviews.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bitten-Witch-Fever-Wallpaper-Victorian/dp/0500518386

@Dustyblue Please start another thread on this -We are on page 39/40 by now surely..Thanks!

Oh OP! the analogy of driving over a plague of mice being like driving over bubblewrap...I can imagine.
Here is an Australian NSW mouse plague for UK people {where we get maybe a family of six mice}
Gross....

@Dustyblue if you are going to create another thread to keep this conversation going, then you need to do it now and paste a link into this one. Otherwise, this thread will stop allowing you or us to post and we might not be able to find your new one. Thx

Have I lost you all?

I don't think we've moved yet. About 30 posts left to fill.

I don't think there's much to say at the moment, as there's no toxicology reports back and the police are being quite on the matter (rightly so), so maybe that's why the OP hasn't created a new post. I think someone should make a follow on thread as if there are any updates this one will easily be full! I would do it but as it's on the Aussie forum it doesn't feel like it's my place to do so!! 🙈

I know ! I don’t feel it’s right for an English/ U.K. person to start a new thread either

Could one of the Aussie/ NZ members start one??

Far too invested in this. I really hope it was an accident…

Surely it doesn’t matter who starts the new thread (if op isn’t back to do so)?

Please start one , Aussies / NZ members
It would be rude for us in U.K. to trample on your toes. ( Just my feelings)
It’s being followed in U.K. but not on our territory.