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  • Death cap fungus (Amanita phalloides): three fruiting bodies. Watercolour by C. H. Spencer Perceval, 1896.
  • Shaggy parasol mushrooms (Lepiota rhacodes): three fruiting bodies, one sectioned. Watercolour by E. Sargent, 1892.
  • Scarlet elf cup fungus (Sarcoscypha coccinea): fruiting bodies growing on wood. Watercolour by R. Baker, 1896.
  • A fungus (Marasmius species?): three fruiting bodies, one sectioned. Watercolour by C. H. Spencer Perceval, 1905.
  • Fly agaric fungus (Amanita muscaria): three fruiting bodies, one sectioned. Coloured zincograph, c. 1853, after M. Burnett.
  • Fawn pluteus fungus (Pluteus cervinus): three fruiting bodies, one sectioned. Watercolour by C. H. Spencer Perceval, 1904.
  • A bracket fungus (Polyporus varius): groups of fruiting bodies with one sectioned. Watercolour by G. Harding, 1900.
  • An unidentified fungus: two fruiting bodies on wood, both life sized and enlarged. Watercolour by M. Webber, 1889.
  • A fungus (Agaricus species): fungus with fruiting-bodies growing on wood. Coloured etching by G. D. Ehret, c.1744, after himself.
  • A bracket fungus (Trametes suaveolens): two fruiting bodies growing on wood and a separate one sectioned. Watercolour by R. Baker, 1897.
  • The serpent entwines itself around the body of Eve; it whispers in her ear, enticing her to eat the forbidden fruit. Photogravure by Lemercier and co. after Walter Crane, 1899.
  • The serpent entwines itself around the body of Eve; it whispers in her ear, enticing her to eat the forbidden fruit. Photogravure by Lemercier and co. after Walter Crane, 1899.
  • Vitamin C imaged with polarised light. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an important vitamin, essential for collagen formation and wound healing, it also facilitates to absorption of iron. A good source of vitamin C is found in a variety of fruit and vegetables, notably citrus friuts, kiwi and broccoli. It is a water soluble vitamin so is excreted by the body and, therefore, needs to be ingested regularly. A lack of vitamin C causes scurvy.
  • Vitamin C imaged with polarised light. Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an important vitamin, essential for collagen formation and wound healing, it also facilitates to absorption of iron. A good source of Vitamin C is found in a variety of fruit and vegetables, notably citrus friuts, kiwi and broccoli. It is a water soluble vitamin so is excreted by the body and, therefore, needs to be ingested regularly. A lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy.
  • Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) crystals imaged by cross polarised light microscopy. Vitamin C is an antioxidant and is important for collagen formation and wound healing. A good source of vitamin C is found in a variety of fruit and vegetables including citrus friuts, brussels sprouts and broccoli. It is a water soluble vitamin that cannot be stored in the body so needs to be ingested regularly. A lack of Vitamin C causes scurvy. 100X image magnification.
  • Atropa belladonna L. Solanaceae. Deadly nightshade. Dwale. Morella, Solatrum, Hound's berries, Uva lupina, Cucubalus, Solanum lethale. Atropa derives from Atropos the oldest of the three Fates of Greek mythology who cut the thread of Life (her sisters Clotho and Lachesis spun and measured the thread, respectively). belladonna, literally, means 'beautiful lady' and was the Italian name for it. Folklore has it that Italian ladies put drops from the plant or the fruits in their eyes to make themselves doe-eyed, myopic and beautiful. However, this is not supported by the 16th and 17th century literature, where no mention is ever made of dilated pupils (or any of the effects of parasympathetic blockade). Tournefort (1719) says 'The Italians named this plant Belladonna, which in their language signifies a beautiful woman, because the ladies use it much in the composition of their Fucus [rouge or deceit or cosmetic] or face paint.' Parkinson says that the Italian ladies use the distilled juice as a fucus '... peradventure [perhaps] to take away their high colour and make them looke paler.' I think it more likely that they absorbed atropine through their skin and were slightly 'stoned' and disinhibited, which made them beautiful ladies in the eyes of Italian males. Distribution: Europe, North Africa, western Asia. Culpeper (1650) writes: 'Solanum. Nightshade: very cold and dry, binding … dangerous given inwardly … outwardly it helps the shingles, St Antonie's Fire [erysipelas] and other hot inflammation.' Most of the 16th, 17th and 18th century herbals recommend it topically for breast cancers. Poisonous plants were regarded as 'cold' plants as an excess of them caused death and the body became cold. They were regarded as opposing the hot humour which kept us warm and alive. Poultices of Belladonna leaves are still recommended for muscle strain in cyclists, by herbalists. Gerard (1633) writes that it: 'causeth sleep, troubleth the mind, bringeth madnesse if a few of the berries be inwardly taken, but if more be taken they also kill...'. He was also aware that the alkaloids could be absorbed through the skin for he notes that a poultice of the leaves applied to the forehead, induces sleep, and relieves headache. The whole plant contains the anticholinergic alkaloid atropine, which blocks the peripheral actions of acetylcholine in the parasympathetic nervous system. Atropine is a racemic mixture of d- and l- hyoscyamine. Atropine, dropped into the eyes, blocks the acetylcholine receptors of the pupil so it no longer constricts on exposure to bright light - so enabling an ophthalmologist to examine the retina with an ophthalmoscope. Atropine speeds up the heart rate, reduces salivation and sweating, reduces gut motility, inhibits the vertigo of sea sickness, and is used to block the acetylcholine receptors to prevent the effects of organophosphorous and other nerve gas poisons. It is still has important uses in medicine. Atropine poisoning takes three or for days to wear off, and the hallucinations experienced by its use are described as unpleasant. We have to be content with 'madness', 'frenzie' and 'idle and vain imaginations' in the early herbals to describe the hallucinations of atropine and related alkaloids as the word 'hallucination' in the sense of a perception for which there is no external stimulus, was not used in English until 1646 (Sir T. Browne, 1646). It is a restricted herbal medicine which can only be sold in premises which are registered pharmacies and by or under the supervision of a pharmacist (UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)). Photographed in the Medicinal Garden of the Royal College of Physicians, London.
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, conidia, close-up SEM
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, conidia, close-up SEM
  • Aspergillus, 3 stages of conidiophore, SEM
  • Aspergillus, hyphae, 2 conidiophores, SEM
  • Aspergillus hyphae showing 2 conidiophores
  • Aspergillus wild-type, conidiophores, SEM
  • SEM Aspergillus mould producing spores (conidia)
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, wild-type, conidium
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, wild-type, conidium
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, wild-type, conidiophores
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, wild-type, conidia
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, wild-type, conidium
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, conidium, SEM
  • Aspergillus fumigatus, wild-type, conidium