14 DEFENSIVE FERMENTS OF THE ANIMAL ORGANISM 



respect adapted to the growing organism (Lit. 2, 3). 

 The great point is, that the suckling is constantly sup- 

 plied with the same mixture of salts and the same 

 organic nourishment, namely, albumen, carbo- 

 hydrates, and fats. Later, when mixed nourishment 

 is taken, the conditions become much more compli- 

 cated, according as greater quantities of this or that 

 unit are introduced during digestion. The cells of 

 the intestines are continually confronted with new 

 duties, and have to adapt themselves gradually to the 

 new conditions. 



The cells of the milk glands are charged with the 

 proper choice of food. They prepare the food for 

 the developing organism, and simplify in particular 

 the task of the intestines which, with the help of the 

 liver, prepare the ingested food for the other cells 

 of the body. Even the components of the milk, 

 before they can be of any use to the organism, must 

 be first considerably altered in the intestine, just as 

 later, in the case of mixed food, a complete decom- 

 position by means of the ferments precedes absorp- 

 tion. The difference in respect to the latter mode of 

 nourishment only lies in the fact that, with the milk 

 food, the same stages of decomposition, giving rise to 

 the same by-products, always recur. Day after 

 day, to a certain extent, the cells of the intestines and 

 of the organism have to perform the same task. 



From this point of view we may discern three 



