>From Times Online, September 2, 2008 Horse Whisperer author, Nicholas Evans, critically ill after eating wild mushrooms http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4660269.ece (Christopher Jones) Nicholas Evans picked the mushrooms while on holiday with his family on the estate of his brother in law Image :1 of 2 Charlene Sweeney The author of the best-selling novel The Horse Whisperer is critically ill after eating poisonous mushrooms while on holiday in the Highlands. Nicholas Evans, 58, his wife Charlotte, her brother Sir Alistair Gordon-Cumming, 54, and his wife Lady Louise, 46, consumed amanita virosa, a deadly basidiomycete fungus more commonly known as the destroying angel. All four are now being treated in hospital. Mr Evans is on a dialysis machine and the other three are said to be seriously ill. Mr Evans and his family ate the mushrooms after a woodland stroll through Sir Alistair’s 12,000-acre estate in Moray, where the writer and his wife were on holiday. Related Links * Whispering to horses can help drug addicts * Whisperer helps in ¿horse ripper¿ hunt * 'Whisperer' bid to save lost whales They fell ill last Monday and were taken to Gray’s Hospital in Elgin, but were later transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where their condition was described last night as stable but serious. Destroying angels resemble several species of edible mushrooms but are among the most poisonous found in Europe. As little as half a mushroom can kill. Symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, delirium and convulsions, can take up to 24 hours to develop, potentially reducing the efficacy of medical intervention as the victims’ organs will already have absorbed the toxins. The poison has no known antidote but treating patients with huge doses of antibiotics can improve survival. In patients developing liver failure, only a liver transplant can avoid death. Destroying angels are from the same family as the lethal death cap mushroom. They are similar in appearance to edible puff balls, and can also be mistaken for field mushrooms. Although the destroying angel can be distinguished by its brown gills, if picked while still immature its caps remain closed and the gills are not visible. Mr Evans and his relatives are thought to have picked the mushrooms while strolling through Sir Alistair’s Altyre estate, between Forres and Grantown-on-Spey and ate them later. Sir Alistair is the chief of the Clan Cumming. After the party fell ill samples were collected from the woods in Altyre and sent to experts at the University of Glasgow and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh for analysis. Foraging for mushrooms has become increasingly popular in Scotland, where sought-after varieties such as chanterelles are in plentiful supply. Joanna Blythman, the leading food writer, urged caution but said there was no reason for people to stop picking wild mushrooms as long as they were well informed. “Collecting mushrooms to eat is a perfectly reasonable thing to do,” Ms Blythman, author of The Food We Eat, said. “On the whole it is not a dangerous thing to do. “My advice would be that unless you are a trained botanist, stick to clear groups that are safe to eat. One is chanterelles, which have a very distinctive appearance and aroma, girolles, and the cep family. Be wary of anything with gills on it, but even amateurs will be safe if only go for limited categories.” Mr Evans was struggling with £65,000 of debt when Robert Redford bought the film rights for his unfinished debut novel, The Horse Whisperer, for a record £3 million in 1995. When the adaptation, starring Redford and Kristin Scott-Thomas was released three years later it was nominated for a Golden Globe nomination for best drama and it earned a best director nomination for the Hollywood star. The success of the film also boosted the book, which sold 15 million copies around the world. Mr Evans, who has published three other novels, The Loop, The Smoke Jumper and The Divide, has already beaten skin cancer. He has three children from his first marriage and a son with Charlotte, his second wife. Mrs Evans is an established song-writer who wrote a hit record for pop group The Sugababes. Sir Alastair became chief of the Clan Cumming or Comyn six years ago. The Comyns are directly descended from William the Conqueror and another ancestor, John Comyn – known as the Red Comyn – was killed by Robert the Bruce in 1306 as the two sides battled to rule over Scotland. Sir Alastair and Lady Louise have three children.
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