"Horse Whisperer" Author Poisoned By Mushrooms

LONDON — The author of the best-selling novel "The Horse Whisperer" is recovering in a hospital after eating poisonous mushrooms during a holiday in Scotland, his agent said Tuesday.

Nicholas Evans' agent said the writer, his wife, her sister and the sister's husband became sick after cooking and eating mushrooms they had picked in the woods Aug. 23.

The A.P. Watt literary agency said tests established that the mushrooms included the highly toxic variety Cortinarius speciosissimus, which attacks the kidneys.

The agency said in a statement that all four had received dialysis treatment at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and responded well. It they were "walking about and were in a cheerful and positive frame of mind."

Evans' 1995 novel about a trainer's rapport with a wounded, traumatized horse has sold more than 15 million copies around the world. It was made into a critically acclaimed film by Robert Redford.

Comments

[XME]

I thought everyone knew better than to pick mushrooms themselves if they aren't experts. They'rve very lucky they're OK.

[deevee]

Where's Mr. Ed when you need him?

[truthynesslover]

Too bad they werent "that kind of mushroom".Its a tricky gamble picking your own but some of them are just too yummy to pass up.

[studhamster]

My wife got an obscene call, when I asked her what the guy sounded like she said he was a horse whisperer.

[AmStar]

Too bad the Highland cow whisperer forgot to warn him about them mushrooms!

[strandwolf]

Most plants have toxic qualities as a defense mechanism against predators such as insects. It's a jungle out there, folks. Nature ain't pretty. It's like...dog eat dog.

[strandwolf]

Hit his kidneys, those mushrooms? Not much in the way of nutrients in them, but some can blow your liver totally out just like that. Your goose is cooked in nothing flat. Gimme a snickers bar. Good to hear the horse author is recovering rather than getting covered over.

[johnnygoodwud]

how about a few wild berries with those mushrooms

[cobraxus]

I heard he was poisoned by that guy who wrote "The Bridges Of Madison County" but that might just be an urban myth.still who doesn't know you're not supposed to eat mushrooms you aren't 100% positive about?

[ResistanceisFutile]

What kind of poison did the mushrooms use?

You have to be very careful with mushrooms, as they are a stealthy lot.

I imagine they snuck up on him while he slept.

I suppose the headline could have read, "Horse Whisperer ate poisonous mushrooms".

We don't need no stinking grammar lessons!

[Mr Grey]

Shouldn't this be in the green section? You know, when to say no to locally grown.

[tkondaks]

Oh, no, not at all.
No one said anything about stopping eating poisoned mushrooms. Poisoned mushrooms should be part of everyone's balanced diet.
Now, excessive consumption of poisoned mushrooms...that's another thing all together.

[GoodwithWood]

Sa-Lamb!

[WilliePilgrim]

It's fairly well recognized that anglo-phones are particularly apprehensive about mushrooms. There evidently is something in the english culture dating to at least the victorian times that places mushrooms into a category of substances that provoke repulsion. Check out the names of english mushrooms, sexual and scatalogical names abound as well as descriptives like "toad stool" "stink horn" and "devil's "you know what". Yet in the rest of the world, and Europe in particular, many eat and enjoy them, understand their lore and assume the miniscule risk is part of the good life. There are so many other genuine risks in our cultures; cars, toxic buildings, electricity, yet those with instinctive basis loom larger than life...we're afraid of bears despite the unlikelyhood of ever seeing them let along being preyed upon while cars have claimed half a million in the last ten years. Human perception­s...someth­ing worth examining in and of themselves..

[BMBTHC]

As an amateur mycologist it is general wisdom to studiously avoid all mushrooms in the Cortinarius genus. These are identified (in part) by a web-like covering over the gills, but this may not be evident in older mushrooms. This genus is not well documented and is notoriously difficult to differentiate species within this genus. Some may be edible, but others will make you sick and still others will kill you, often due to kidney failure. Nasty, nasty. For those interested there is a good web-article on this genus here: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/cortinarius.html. But before you go out and eat a mushroom, get a book (or 5) and talk to other mushroom hunters, and then don't eat a meal-full on your first identification, or even your third.
Personally I avoid all mushrooms with any close resemblance to anything with kidney damaging effects. A stomach ache is one thing, but a transplant (if you are lucky) is hardly worth a hobby.
My wishes for a speedy recovery to the Evans family.

[maschwab]

The Beguiled (1971) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066819/

[CrazyLiberal]

Why do toadstools grow in clumps? Because there isn't mushroom.

Hey, I'm just a fungi.

Sorry, that was in spore taste.

[leapinggnome]

No one knows the truffles I've seen....

[strandwolf]

A fungus among us?

[OtayPanky]

Obviously he never read my book THE MUSHROOM WHISPERERS.

[Vinca]

OtayPanky: I'd have thought he would've heard NEVER EAT WILD MUSHROOMS

[OtayPanky]

He thought that since he can master wild horses...he could master wild fungi.

[cobraxus]

Or it's sequel :The Toilet Barker"