Fulfillingis thedescrip-

tor that comesto my mindfollowing theNACCT meet-ing inOrlando.Educationally,applause forthe ACMT’s

Education Committee as it againdelivers for the College in Orlando.Read the article by Committee ChairLewis Nelson as he highlights theproceedings and credits thoseresponsible for the success. Also con-gratulations to the AACT’s NACCTPlanning Committee, as the contentmakes decisions harder in selectingbetween the different educationaltracks at the meeting. The EllenhornLecture delivered by Anthony R.Temple, MD was inspirational andfull of sage advice. Socially, the meet-ing is a great gathering to reconnectand see so many friends and col-leagues. On this note I also have tothank Suzanne White who in a grandfashion resurrected the ACMTFellows Reception. Plans are alreadyunderway for San Francisco and whatwe hope to again be an annual event.In this newsletter we highlight someof our new Fellows. Here is areminder of the January 31, 2006Fellow application deadline for nextyear. The academic maturity of a spe-cialty is reached when its’ memberscompete and are awarded NationalInstitute grants. Congratulations toour University of Massachusetts col-leagues! Finally, in this newsletter Ihope you appreciate the columnabout Amanita muscaria; picked from

under a conifer in my backyard andwritten by Lewis Nelson.

I hope you have been enjoying thepart of this column that focuses onworld events and how I see themrelating to our specialty.Unfortunately, at this writing weremain stuck on natural disasters;earthquakes, floods and a hurricaneseason for the record books that willnot end. Everyone has been touchedby the hurricanes if not directly byfamily, friends or colleagues livingthere, then secondarily by trips tothe gas pump. With two childrenattending college in Naples, FL mythoughts remain with my Floridiancolleagues. Yesterday, I decided toprepare for what I hope does notbecome a record winter ofNor’easters, by buying a generatorand having a professional electricianinstall it. As toxicologists serving thepublic health we still have work todo. In the aftermath of all these dis-asters including snowstorms, carbonmonoxide remains a cause of signifi-cant morbidity and mortality. Iencourage all of you in your roles aspublic health physicians to come upwith creative ways to educate thepublic before, during and after thesenatural disasters.

newsletter

The official quarterlynewsletter of theAmerican College ofMedical Toxicology

EDITOR:Keith Burkhart, MD, FACMT

Burkhart.Keith@epamail.epa.gov

u The President’s PerspectiveKeith Burkhart, MD, FACMT

FALL • 2005American College of Medical Toxicology • 11240 Waples Mill Road, Suite 200 • Fairfax, Virginia 22030

Phone: 703-934-1223 • Fax: 703-359-7562 • E-mail: info@acmt.net

1Reminder...

Do we have yourlatest E-mailaddress? If not,please sent it to:info@acmt.net

Well, it’s that time of yearagain! The 2006 ACMTMembership Drive is

well underway and you will soonbe receiving requests both bymail and email to renew orupgrade your membership. Asyou write that check, I hope youwill reflect upon the overall mis-sion of the College and the bene-fits of membership.

What is theAmericanCollege ofMedicalToxicology?

The American College ofMedical Toxicology (ACMT) is aprofessional, nonprofit associa-tion of physicians with recog-nized expertise in medical toxi-cology. The College is dedicatedto advancing the science andpractice of medical toxicologythrough a variety of activities.Our origin stems back to 1975when the American Board ofMedical Toxicology was estab-lished by the American Academyof Clinical Toxicology to developa board certification examinationfor physicians. The ABMT offeredphysician certification in medicaltoxicology until 1992, and began

to offer an annual scientific sym-posium at the NACCT. In 1993,the American Board of MedicalSpecialties created a MedicalToxicology Sub-Board under theauspices of the American Boardsof Emergency Medicine,Pediatrics, and PreventiveMedicine. These boards thenoffered formal ABMS subspecialtyqualification in medical toxicolo-gy. The ABMT evolved to ACMT, adistinct entity with its own gover-nance and bylaws. Today, theACMT is the only organizationdedicated exclusively to the pro-motion of the physician’s role asa medical toxicologist amongpeers, industry, governmentalagencies and the public.

What are the benefits of membership ofthe ACMT?

The most significant benefits tomembers are those that are theend result of physician advocacyefforts, the opportunity to partici-pate in shaping the future of ourprofession, and peer networking.Other benefits include the poten-tial to be recognized as Fellowsof the American College ofMedical Toxicology (FACMT), aprestigious credential demon-

strating peer-reviewed medicaltoxicology expertise. ACMT mem-bers are able to participate inunique ACMT-recruited contractswith academia, industry, and thegovernment. ACMT membershipsupports outreach activitiesincluding the Journal of MedicalToxicology and a vast array ofstate-of-the-art educational sym-posia at a discounted fee. ACMToffers a free subscription to theJournal of Medical Toxicology,and a discounted group subscrip-tion price to Clinical Toxicology,the official journal of theAmerican Academy of ClinicalToxicology and the EuropeanAssociation of Poison Centresand Clinical Toxicologists. ACMT,AACT and EAPCCT are workingtogether to advance the clinicalpractice of toxicology.

What is theMembershipCommittee?

The Membership Committee iscomprised of the following dedi-cated ACMT members: CynthiaAaron, Lydia Baltarowich, MichaelBurns, Leslie Boyer, LouCantilena, Leslie Dye, ThomasKurt, David Lee, William Meggs,Kevin Osterhoudt, ShahinShadnia, and Daniel Teitelbaum.

2 ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

u American College of Medical ToxicologyMessage from the Membership Committee to Renewing and Joining Members Suzanne White, Membership Committee Chair

3ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

The committee has several “offi-cial” responsibilities. It recom-mends to Directors the criteriafor membership and Fellowshipin the College. It reviews the cre-dentials of applicants for entryinto the College and recom-mends action. It reviews therecords of members being con-sidered for Fellow status,Emeritus status, or expulsion.

Beyond these official duties,the Membership Committeecoordinates the ACMT member-ship drive and seeks to activelyrecruit new ACMT members,especially fellows-in-training.ACMT currently has 301 fullmembers, 80 associate members,and nine international members.This year, we had the distinctpleasure of participating in therecommendation and celebra-tion of eight ACMT Fellows.These new inductees are GeorgeBraitberg, MBBS, MichaelGreenberg, MD, MPH, DavidGummin, MD, Edwin Kilbourne, MD, David C. Lee, MD, William

O. Robertson, MD, David Tanen,MD, and Margaret Thompson,MD (please see related article). This brings our current roster toan impressive number of 140Fellows. Finally, the MembershipCommittee coordinates the cre-ation and distribution of theMembership Directory andACMT brochure.

The Membership Committeewould like to extend an invita-tion to ACMT members to join.We have a number of excitingactivities planned for 2006 andthese would be greatly enhancedthrough additional member par-ticipation. Our committee wouldalso appreciate any feedbackfrom members regarding theirexpectations for ACMT. If youhave an interest in serving orwould like to provide feedback,please feel free to contactSuzanne White atswhite1@dmc.org.

What ACMT deadlines areapproaching?

Don’t forget to renew orupgrade your membership byJanuary 16, 2006. (This includesgoing to the website to updateyour personal information forthe online and written directory).Membership categories and eligi-bility are online at:http://www.acmt.net/main/mem-bership_application.asp

If you are interested in becom-ing a Fellow of the College, visithttp://www.acmt.net/members/fellow_app.asp to review the cri-teria and to access a download-able application. These applica-tions are due January 31, 2006.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PresidentKeith K. Burkhart, MD, FACMT

Vice PresidentPaul M. Wax, MD, FACMT

Secretary / TreasurerErica L. Liebelt, MD, FACMT

Immediate Past PresidentMichael J. Kosnett,MD, MPH, FACMT

Stephen W. Borron, MD, FACMT

Christine A. Haller, MD

Lewis S. Nelson, MD, FACMT

Kevin C. Osterhoudt, MD, FACMT

Steven A. Seifert, MD, FACMT

Suzanne R. White, MD, FACMT

Executive Director Gerald M. Galler

ACMT OfficeThe American College of

Medical Toxicology11240 Waples Mill Road

Suite 200Fairfax, Virginia 22030

Phone: 703-934-1223Fax: 703-359-7562

E-mail: info@acmt.netwww.acmt.net

HAVE YOU BEENINVOLVED WITHRECOVERY FROM

HURRICANESKATRINA, RITA

OR WILMA?We are looking foryour experiencesduring these recentstorms to publishin our newsletter.Please submit yourarticles to:info@acmt.net.

4 ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

ACMT Booth at NAACT offers NACCT attendees the opportunity to meet with executive lead-ership and learn more about the society and its' benefits including signing up for ACMT'seducational offerings and the Journal of Medical Toxicology.

Dr. Michael Kosnett, Past-President toasts our new Fellows at the evening reception.

u Highlights from NACCT 2005

5ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

Dr. Christian Tomaszewski lectures to the Fellows-in-Training at the annual luncheon. His lecture was entitled “Pharmaceutical Company Funded Research: The Good, the Bad, and the Not So Credible.”

Dr. Suzanne White, Membership Committee Chair, introduces and congratulates our newFellows; David Gummin, Margaret Thompson, David Lee, and Michael Greenberg. Not pictured - George Braitberg, Edwin Kilbourne, William Robertson, and David Tanen.

www.acmt.net

6 ACMT Newsletter • Summer 2005

The American College of MedicalToxicology is pleased to present the2005 Matthew J. Ellenhorn Award for

Excellence in Toxicology to Anthony R.Temple, MD. Beginning with his clinical toxi-cology fellowship in 1970, and extendingthrough his leadership of the IntermountainRegional Poison Control Center in the1970’s and his service with McNeilConsumer Products Company since the1980’s, Dr. Temple has made significant con-tributions to medical toxicology research,poisoning management and prevention, andeducation of the clinical toxicology commu-nity. Through his work in academia, publichealth, and the pharmaceutical industry, Dr.Temple has been highly regarded andrespected for his national leadership inadvancing the goals of poison prevention,and fostering the growth and developmentof our field. Formal presentation of theEllenhorn Award, including a lecture by Dr.Temple, was a featured event at the 2005North American Congress of ClinicalToxicology in Orlando, Florida.

u ToxicologistProfiles: News andNoteworthy

MASSACHUSETTS TOXICOLOGISTSEARN RESEARCH GRANTS

ACMT member Edward Boyer, MD, was recentlyawarded an R01 grant, valued at $1.54 million,from the National Institutes of Health for his

project, “Club Drugs, Adulterants, Co-ingestants, andHIV Risk.” The project supports the goals of the NIHRoadmap by creating an integrated research team thatinvolves specialists in medical toxicology, social medi-cine, clinical epidemiology, and analytical chemistry.Ed is the Chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology atthe UMass-Memorial Medical Center. The study isfunded for a duration of 4 years.

ACMT member Dr.Steven Bird, also ofthe Division ofMedical Toxicology atthe University ofMassachusetts, hasreceived a $612,000grant from theNational Institute ofEnvironmental HealthSciences. His study,funded for four yearsunder a K0-8 mecha-nism, applies the useof functional MRI toevaluate neurochemi-cal changes producedby acute organophos-phate poisoning.

ACMT member Dr. Steven Bird

Dr. Barry Rumack congratulates Dr.Temple. Barry Rumack, MD, a formerEllenhorn awardee introduced Dr. Temple.Dr. Rumacks review of Dr. Temple's distin-guished career included an entertainingvideo clip from his retirement party.

THE 2005 MATTHEWJ. ELLENHORN AWARDFOR EXCELLENCE INTOXICOLOGY

7ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

u Meet the New Fellows

September 10, 2005 eight new Fellows wereinducted into the American College of MedicalToxicology during the annual business meeting.

These esteemed individuals have each made signifi-cant contributions to the field of medical toxicologyin terms of education, research, clinical practice andservice to the college as described below.

GEORGE BRAITBERG, MBBS,FACMT, FACEM.

Dr. Braitberg completed medical school and emer-gency medicine residency training at University ofMelbourne. After practicing emergency medicine forfour years, he entered the Good Samaritan MedicalCenter Medical Toxicology Fellowship. He thenreturned to Australia and served as Deputy DirectorEmergency Medicine St Vincent’s HospitalMelbourne. He is currently Associate Professor,Department of Medicine at the University ofMelbourne; Director of Emergency Medicine; andCo-Director of Medical Toxicology Australia Health

Hospital. In 2004, he was recently awarded aGraduate Diploma in Clinical Epidemiology &Biostatistics. Current activities in medical toxicologyinclude service as the Associate Physician to thePoisons Information Centre, The New Children’sHospital; Honorary Medical Consultant to theVictorian Poisons Information Centre, RoyalChildren’s Hospital, Victoria; and Consultant,Epworth Hospital, Richmond. Dr. Braitberg is happi-ly married with 4 children, age ranges 15 to 21. Herecently completed the 2004 Great Victorian BikeRide, treking 800km over 6 days. “Not bad for a mid-dle aged, balding Jewish guy,” notes Dr. Braitberg.

MICHAEL I. GREENBERG, M.D.,MPH, FACMT.

Dr. Greenberg is Professor of Emergency Medicineand Professor of Public Health at the DrexelUniversity College of Medicine in Philadelphia andClinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at TempleUniversity School of Medicine. He is the Program

Director for the Medical Toxicology FellowshipTraining Program at DUCOM where he alsoserves as the Chief of the Division ofOccupational and Environmental EmergencyMedicine and the Associate Director of theDivision of Medical Toxicology. Dr. Greenbergholds board certifications in three specialties:Medical Toxicology, Preventive Medicine(Occupational/Environmental Medicine), andEmergency Medicine. He has been elected toFellow status in the American College ofPreventive Medicine, the American Academy ofEmergency Medicine and the American Collegeof Occupational and Environmental Medicine.His primary clinical practice involves medical,occupational, and environmental toxicologyand he serves as a clinical consultant for thePhiladelphia Poison Control Center. Dr.Greenberg is the Editor-in-Chief of“Occupational, Industrial, and EnvironmentalToxicology” published by Harcourt HealthSciences as well as “Greenberg’s Atlas of

Dr. Braitberg (left) at the VietnamPoison Centre, 2004.

Continued next page

www.acmt.net

8 ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

Emergency Medicine” published by Lippincott,Williams and Wilkins Corp. of Philadelphia. He is theauthor of over 250 scientific articles, abstracts, andbook chapters. He is an active instructor for theDepartment of Defense Domestic PreparednessProgram and consultant regarding chemical and bio-logical weapons of mass destruction to the U.S. StateDepartment’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and theU.S. Navy’s Office of Homeland Defense. In addi-tion, he has served as principle investigator for sev-eral research projects dealing with hospital pre-paredness against weapons that might be used byterrorists funded by the U.S. Army. Dr. Greenberghas served on the American College of MedicalToxicology committee to examine the use of potassi-um iodide in radiological emergencies and he cur-rently serves as the Chair of the BiomonitoringCommittee for ACMT. He is an elected member ofthe Board of Trustees of the American Academy ofClinical Toxicology and he is a charter member ofthe American Academy of Emergency Medicine. Dr.Greenberg served as a Medical Officer with theUnited States Marine Corps Reserve while serving inthe United States Naval Reserve from 1985 to 1995,and served on active duty during Operation DesertStorm.

DAVID D. GUMMIN, MD, FACMT.Dr. Gummin is a native of Wisconsin and the

Medical Director of the Wisconsin Poison Center(WPC). He is a graduate of the University ofWisconsin Medical School, and began his profes-sional training as a surgical intern at Bethesda NavalHospital. After a tour as a Diving Medical Officer inthe U.S. Navy, he returned to civilian life and com-pleted residency training in Emergency Medicine atCook County Hospital in Chicago. He then complet-ed a Medical Toxicology fellowship with theToxikon Consortium. He is board certified in bothEmergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology, andhas worked with the WPC for the past five years.He was delighted to be a part of the team that gotthe WPC certified by the AAPCC in February of thisyear. This certification is a first in the history of

Wisconsin. Dr. Gummin works full-time as a com-munity-based Emergency Physician with InfinityHealthCare. He loves to teach students and resi-dents, and was given the Outstanding ClinicalFaculty Award by the Medical College ofWisconsin’s Emergency residents this year. “I ameternally indebted to my beloved wife, Sandra andto my son, Christian, and my daughter, Marisa forgiving me the intensity and motivation to alwayspractice excellence.”

DAVID C. LEE, MD, FACMT. Dr. Lee graduated from Boston Unversity Medical

School in 1987. He completed emergency medicineresidency training at the Medical College ofPennsylvania in 1990 and Medical ToxicologyFellowship training at the Mercy Catholic MedicalCenters/Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1992.He is presently on staff at North Shore UniversityHospital in New York where he is presently theDirector of Research for the Department ofEmergency Medicine. His present research interestsinclude substance abuse and adverse drug effects ofpharmaceutical agents. He is an active member ofthe ACMT membership committee.

u Meet the New Fellows Continued from previous page

DAVID TANNEN, MD, FACMT. Dr. Tannen is an active duty emergency physician

and medical toxicologist with the Navy who recentlyreturned from his second deployment with theMarines to Iraq. Upon returning home, he assumedthe role of Program Director for the EmergencyMedicine Residency at Naval Medical Center SanDiego and continues his association as an attendingwith the UCSD Medical Toxicology Fellowship.

MARGARET THOMPSON, MD,FACMT.

Dr. Thompson graduated from the University ofToronto, completed emergency medicine residencytraining in Toronto and undertook a preceptorshipin medical toxicology with Dr. McGuigan at theHospital for Sick Children in Toronto Canada.According to Dr. Thompson, “I qualified in MedicalToxicology in 1992 when there was a “Board” inMedical Toxicology. I sat for my American Boards inEmergency Medicine in 1993 just so that I could beeligible to achieve my Subspecialty in MedicalToxicology given that I had a time limited certificate.I wrote the first Subspecialty Boards in 1994 andremember sitting beside many sighing respected tox-icologists in Chicago. Those same toxicologistsappeared in the same room again in 2004 at the firstrecertification.” In 2001, she became the MedicalDirector of the Ontario Regional Poison InformationCentre in Toronto and practices both emergencymedicine and medical toxicology. Dr. Thompsoncontinues, “I provide toxicology education to manydifferent levels of medical learners at the Universityof Toronto. I endeavor to involve the few toxicolo-gists in the Province of Ontario in as many projectsas I can. Currently, we, are attempting to developour own toxicology training programme at theUniversity level and take on Canadian trainees. Iwould consider my greatest accomplishment to bemy only daughter, Bronwyn ... a blue-eyed blond ...far more athletic and artistic than I.”

9ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

www.acmt.net

10 ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

u ACMT Educational Events at NACCT 2005 Lewis Nelson, MD, FACMT

We opened our educationalrepertoire this year withthe Premeeting

Symposium, organized by ChristineHaller, M.D. from UCSF, entitled“The Dark Side ofPharmaceuticals.” Speakers at thisyear’s symposium included SidneySchnoll, M.D., formerly withPurdue Pharma and Peter Lurie,M.D., from Public Citizen’s HealthResearch Group. In addition, theACMT-member speakers were alltruly outstanding and deserve aspecial thanks. They include (inalphabetical order):

• Louis Cantilena, MD, PhD,Uniformed Services Universityof the Health Sciences

• Howard Greller, MD, NorthShore University Hospital

• Rama Rao, MD, BellevueHospital Center / NYU MedicalCenter

• Curtis Snook, MD, Universityof Cincinnati

• Anthony Tomassoni, MD,Maine Medical Center

• Paul Wax, MD, Banner GoodSamaritan Regional MedicalCenter

The Case PresentationCompetition (CPC), always a hit,followed immediately after thePremeeting Symposium. As in thepast few years, this was organizedby Jeffrey Suchard, M.D. from UCIrvine, who also coordinated thescoring of the event. The partici-pants this year were:

• Matthew Recktenwald, M.D.(presenter) & John Benitez,M.D. (discussant) from the

University of Rochester.

• Ann-Jeanette Geib, M.D. (presenter) & Michele BurnsEwald, M.D. (discussant) fromHarvard University.

• Kavita Babu, M.D. (presenter)& Michael Ganetsky, M.D. (discussant) from University of Massachusetts.

It is very challenging to try tostump the opponent with a fascino-ma and even more challenging tolook graceful under pressure whiletrying to figure it out…..yet all

involved did a great job! The “win-ners” of the competition were Ann-Jeanette Geib for presenter andMike Ganetsky for discussant. Thisis particularly impressive as Mike isstill a medical toxicology fellow!

The Scientific Symposium,organized by Javier Waksman,M.D., from University of Coloradowas entitled “The Role of theImmune System in ToxicologicalResponses,” and provided insightinto the critical role of the immunesystem in the pathology of poison-ing. He, along with Debra Laskin,Ph.D. from Rutgers University,brought basic science to the bed-side by showing clinicians how the

immune system is important notonly in the injury but then therecovery from acetaminophen poi-soning. This research may lead tonew treatment modalities for themost severely poisoned patients.

The Fellows-in-TrainingLuncheon was organized by MarkSu, M.D. from SUNY Brooklyn.This year, the medical toxicologyfellows heard an empassioned talkby Christian Tomaszewski, MD,Carolinas Medical Center entitled“Pharmaceutical Company FundedResearch: The Good, the Bad, andthe not so Credible.” As one wouldimagine by the title, Chris’ talk wasenlightening, providing the fellowsmuch to consider as they developresearch plans.

The Practice Symposium, organ-ized by Charles McKay, M.D. fromUniversity of Connecticut andThomas Martin, M.D. fromUniversity of Washington, was enti-tled “Interaction with LocalEmergency Planning Committees”.Speakers at this symposium includ-ed Mark Kirk, M.D. from theUniversity of Virginia and ThomasMartin, M.D. Mark weaved his priorexperiences into a “you can do this”style presentation; Tom focused ontransportation-related events.

Overall the educational symposiaat NACCT this year in Florida wereextremely successful and reactionwas overwhelmingly positive. Welook forward to another excellentconference next year and anyoneinterested in participating on thiscommittee is welcome to join.Please email me at lnelson@pol.net.

... THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IS

IMPORTANT NOT ONLY IN THE

INJURY BUT THEN THE RECOV-ERY FROM ACETAMINOPHEN

POISONING. THIS RESEARCH

MAY LEAD TO NEW TREATMENT

MODALITIES FOR THE MOST

SEVERELY POISONED PATIENTS.

The readily recognizable FlyAgaric, Amanita muscariagrows commonly across the

United States. The Panther, or A.pantherina, is more commonlyfound in the western US than inthe east. They tend to grow in iso-lation, but may be found in clus-ters or rings, and they are mostcommonly associated withconifers. These mushrooms fruittwice per year: once in the latespring and again in the autumn.They are recognized by their redor yellowish cap which has veilremnants scattered as pieces atopthe cap.

The active “toxicologic” ingredi-ents are isoxazole derivates witheuphorigenic properties akin toethanol. Central nervous systemfindings following use generallybegin within about 2 hours, andmay be preceded by gastrointesti-nal manifestations such as vomit-ing. Vital signs are typically nor-mal, though animals given lethaldoses develop respiratory depres-sion. Common clinical findingsinclude sedation, ataxia, delirium,and slurred speech. The centralnervous system depression isoften associated with dream-likesensations that are replete withillusions, though frank hallucina-tions appear to be uncommon.Seizures are reported, particular-ly in children. Following the rest-ful period, stimulation andhyperkinesia may occur.Treatment of poisoning is symp-tomatic and supportive and,despite rare poor outcomes,prognosis is generally excellent.

Despite the name of the mush-room, the amount of muscarine

in A. muscaria is miniscule.Rather the mushrooms containibotenic acid, an isoxazole deriva-tive structurally similar to glutam-ic acid. This agent is an NMDAreceptor agonist and may be, inpart, responsible for the psy-choactive effects. The neurotoxic(insecticidal) properties of thiscompound account for the termfly agaric. However, muscimol,the decarboxylated product ofibotenic acid, is responsible forthe clinical effects produced inthose who eat the mushroom.Decarboxylation occurs in mush-rooms that are dried, or mayoccur metabolically once ingest-ed. Muscimol is a GABA-ergicagent, accounting for the seda-tion and euphoria typically asso-ciated with ingestion of thesemushrooms. There are neitherdefined cholinergic nor antimus-carinic principles in these mush-rooms though suggestive clinicaleffects are reported, and it is con-ceivable that there are neuro-chemical interactions betweenglutamatergic and/or GABA-ergicneurotransmission and choliner-gic pathways.

The history of this mushroomis long and varied. A. muscaria isbelieved to be the original“Soma” or food of the Gods,

which allowed ancient priestsand mystics to communicate withtheir holy spirits. This may be themushroom upon which LewisCarroll based the psychedelicaspects of his 1865 book, Alice inWonderland. More recently, thecounterculture revolutionaries ofthe 1960’s (such as GordonWasson and Tom Robbins) exper-imented with A. muscaria as ameans to “universal oneness.”However, based on its virtualnonexistence today as an inebri-ant, this experimentation waslikely unrewarding. A. muscariais sadly the mushroom thataccounted for the untimely deathof Babar’s father (who was at thetime the King of the Elephants),prompting Babar to go on hisquest for a new life. The 2004AAPCC data contained 44 expo-sures to ibotenic acid-containingmushrooms, with 17 moderateoutcomes, 1 major outcome and1 death. The death (case 228)involved Internet-purchaseddried A. muscaria that resulted incardiorespiratory arrest andanoxic brain injury. Neithermycological confirmation norpostmortem toxicologic testing isreported in the brief abstract,though the outcome is consistentwith other clinical and experi-mental evidence.

Amanita Muscaria

11ACMT Newsletter • Fall 2005

u Amanita Muscaria

u ACMT’s Upcoming Meetings4TH ANNUAL MEDICAL

TOXICOLOGY SPRING COURSE

American College ofMedical Toxicology 11240 Waples Mill RoadSuite 200 Fairfax, Virginia 22030www.acmt.net

MARCH 2-3, 2006 at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix, AZ

This conference is designed to offer state-of-the-art insight on current issues in medicaltoxicology including toxicological mecha-

nisms, clinical controversies and environmentaltoxicology. Noted experts from around the countrywill provide lectures on these important issues.The symposium on the human health and safetyissues surrounding Clandestine MethamphetamineLaboratories is sponsored in part by the Agency forToxic Substances and Disease Registry/NationalCenter for Environmental Health.

2006 MEDICAL TOXICOLOGY

BOARD REVIEW COURSE

SEPTEMBER 15-17, 2006at the Hyatt Regency DFW in Dallas, TX

The American College of Medical Toxicology ispleased to offer for a second time a BoardReview course designed to prepare all exami-

nees for the biannual certification and re-certifica-tion examination in Medical Toxicology that will beadministered in November 2006. The first course,held in October 2004, was extremely well attendedand highly acclaimed.

To register or to find out more information about these two courses, please visit the Meetings page from the ACMT website at:

http://www.acmt.net/main/meetings.asp.