The death of Phillip Brouard, May 1885.
This is the first post in a series on historical mushroom poisonings in Australia.
One of the earliest recorded cases of mushroom poisoning in Australia, the death of schoolboy Phillip Brouard in 1885 remains an intriguing and tragic event. Occurring at a time when knowledge of fungi in Australia was extremely limited, this case raises questions about the circumstances of his poisoning, the rapid progression of his illness, and brings to light the broader historical context of his family
The Setting: The Town and the School
Kanyapella State School was situated approximately nine miles east of Echuca in Victoria. Echuca is 190km directly north of Melbourne, at the junction of the Murray and Campaspe Rivers, on the northern boundary of Victoria.
The school opened in 1880 with an enrolment of 36 students. The weatherboard school building sat on land once owned by a Mr. Penny, leading to its early nickname, “Penny’s School.” Head teacher at the time of Phillip’s death was Silas G. Frost.
The Brouard family lived in a redgum slab cottage, a common form of dwelling at the time. These structures were built using split redgum timber, often with minimal insulation, reflecting the rural lifestyle of many settlers. Mr Brouard is reported to have had a vineyard on his property.
The Incident:
The Teacher’s Account
This account is transcribed from the hand-written Coroner’s Inquest of 7 May 1885.
Silas George Frost, sworn, states: I am the head teacher of the Kanyapella North State School No. 2285. I have viewed the body of the deceased, Philip Brouard.
Between half past 10 o’clock and a quarter to 11 o’clock yesterday, the deceased came to the school. I asked him why he was late, and he stated that he had been at home doing nothing.
He was frequently late, so I was forced to give him two taps on the hand (the punishment was very slight). He went to his seat. Some time after, about half an hour later, he complained that he was not well. I told him that he might go outside, not knowing that anything serious was the matter. He did not go outside but staggered away.
He fell on the floor and returned to his seat. I went to him and asked if he wanted to have a drink. He took a taste of water, and I placed a wet handkerchief on his head. He appeared to be in a fit or spasm. Stringy liquid issued from his nose and mouth. I then called my wife and carried him into my residence and placed him down on the couch. He lay very still. As he appeared to be sinking, I sent for his father. Mr. Brouard arrived, and I sent him for the doctor & Sergeant of Police thinking the boy was dead.
He gradually sank from the time he took ill & did not rally at all. The doctor arrived with the sergeant. The doctor pronounced the boy to be dead – His illness lasted about 3/4 of an hour.
Silas G. Frost
Taken signed and sworn at
Echuca in the Kialla Bailiwick
of the Colony of Victoria this 9th
day of May 1885 Before me.
Henry Cresson J.P.
Medical Testimony of George Reginald Edkins, M.D.
George Reginald Edkins, duly sworn, saith:
I am a duly qualified Medical Practitioner and reside at Echuca. I have this day performed a post-mortem examination on the body of the deceased boy, Phillip Brouard, who appeared to be about fifteen years of age.
There were no external marks of violence. The brain and other organs were found to be healthy. In the stomach, I discovered a quantity of fungoid mushrooms which were not partly digested and appeared to have been eaten uncooked. The stomach was very much distended. The small intestines were twisted in several places, indicating that there must have been violent peristaltic action.
I attribute the cause of death to the ingestion of poisonous mushrooms. I have heard the evidence of the last witness, and the symptoms described by him are consistent with those caused by eating poisonous mushrooms. I am aware that fungoid mushrooms can be highly poisonous.
George Reginald Edkins, M.D.
Truancy and Social Context
Schooling became mandatory in Victoria with the passage of the Education Act 1872, which made Victoria the first Australian colony to offer free, secular, and compulsory education to children aged 6-15, unless they had a reasonable excuse.
Truancy was not uncommon at the time, and later that same year, Felix Brouard was fined for his children’s non-attendance at school, alongside many other parents. This context adds to the picture of Phillip’s life, suggesting that he may not have had a highly structured education or routine.
The Autopsy Report and Medical Analysis – Likely due to muscarine
From the description of the symptoms, we can speculate as to the poison that was responsible. The most likely candidate appears to be muscarine. This occurs in a number of mushroom genera, including Inocybe, Clitocybe, Rubroboletus and Amanita. It has also been isolated from Entoloma, Mycena, Boletus, Hygrocybe, Lactarius and Russula.
Symptoms Matching Muscarine Poisoning:
- The description of “stringy liquid issuing from the nose and mouth” is highly indicative of excessive salivation and secretion, consistent with muscarine poisoning. This aligns with the excessive parasympathetic nervous system activation caused by muscarine.
- The violent peristaltic action (as observed in the twisted intestines) and rapid progression of symptoms could also be attributed to muscarine’s effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
There is a case report of a 7 year old girl who suffered such violent convulsions that she was administered curare. Her symptoms were intense salivation, vomiting and convulsions without diarrhoea. - The fact that the mushrooms were observable in his stomach at post mortem indicates that he would have eaten them within the preceding 2 to 5 hours. Since it was 10 o’clock when he arrived at school, and sunrise is at 7.05am in Echuca at that time of year we can probably narrow it down to the preceding 2 to 3 hours. He may well have picked them on his way to school which would fit with the narrative since the teacher did not notice anything when he first showed up. Muscarine can start to take effect in as little as 20 minutes. The fact that none of his family was poisoned indicates that they were not served up as part of his breakfast at home.
Age Discrepancy
One puzzling aspect of the case is the inconsistency in Phillip’s recorded age. His death certificate lists him as 11 years old, while the autopsy estimated he was 15. Such a significant discrepancy should have been apparent, yet it remains unexplained.
In any case, it might be expected that a child would suffer more severe effects than an adult.
Cultural background
Mycophagy as a tradition
Phillip was the son of Felix Brouard, a French immigrant. As is the case for many migrants from countries where harvesting wild mushrooms is a long standing tradition, it is likely that Felix may have picked and eaten some of the wild mushrooms he found in Australia. Philip may have thus been raised without the mycophobia that was, and still is, common for people of English descent.
Even today, many migrants do not appreciate that the mushrooms that they find in Australia are not necessarily the same as those they are used to in their home countries. This has led to a number of well documented cases of lethal mushroom poisoning in Australia.
The Brouard Family
The unfortunate demise of Philip leads to the wider story of the Brouard family which in turn shines light on an interesting period in Australian history.
I will add to this post in due course with some details of this fascinating tale.
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