IN THE COMPANY OF MUSHROOMS

A Biologist's Tale

ELIO SCHAECHTER

In the Company of Mushrooms

Elio Schaechter

"Full of curiosity, taste, and surprise, these ebullient forays into the nature of mushrooms are more than warm and appreciative. They are an invitation to--nay, immediate membership in--the grand fellowship and company of mushroom hunters."
--Roger B. Swain, Science Editor, Horticulture Magazine

We might slice them into a salad, savor them in a sauce, wonder at their power to intoxicate or poison, marvel at their multifarious presence in the forest--but few of us realize that mushrooms, humbly thriving on decay, are crucial to life on Earth as we know it. In this book, the distinguished biologist Elio Schaechter reveals the power of these curious organisms--not quite animal, not quite plant--to enchant and instruct, to nourish and make way for all sorts of other forms of nature.

Elio Schaechter is Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Emeritus, Tufts University School of Medicine. He is the co-author of Mechanisms of Microbial Disease and Physiology of the Bacterial Cell

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CAUTION: This book (and this online feature) is not intended as a recipe book or an identification guide. There are risks involved in consuming wild mushrooms. To minimize them you must obtain positive identification of each specimen. Even with proper identification, the possibility exists that the consumer may be allergic to a mushroom, or that the mushroom may in some way be anomalous. The author has been conscientious in his efforts to alert the reader to potential hazards of consuming wild mushrooms, but the reader must accept full responsibility for deciding to consume any particular specimen. Descriptions of medicinal uses of mushrooms given in this book (and on this online feature) are for educational purposes only. The author is not recommending the use of mushrooms for self-medication. Always consults a physician about such use.