MILK. 489 
up, and a small amount of lactic acid being produced at the 
same time. 
Kefyr grains, or fungi, are a ferment known to the hill folk 
of the Caucasus as acting on milk. Mares’ milk contains but 
little fat, little casein, and much lactose (or sugar of milk), of 
which constituents the proportions are just the reverse in cows’ 
milk. In the production of genuine Koumiss, the vinous, and 
the lactic acid fermentations run side by side; three layers are 
produced in the bottles containing this Koumiss ; the uppermost 
a little oil, the middle the vinous solution, and below some casein. 
Before use these are to be mixed by agitation. Home-made 
Koumiss may be prepared by mixing half a pint of water, half a 
pint of butter-milk, four pints:of new milk, and one ounce of loat 
sugar, leaving the mixture in a warm place, and shaking it occa- 
sionally for thirty-six hours. This will make a palatable form of 
nourishment, especially suitable for albuminuria from Bright's 
disease; likewise for the comparatively harmless albuminuria of 
adolescence, which is independent of any kidney trouble, 
but rather arising from defective digestion during growth ; 
such latter illness yields readily to a strict milk diet, with 
rest in bed. The same beverage will generally overcome 
sleeplessness from imperfect digestion. Its lactic acid is 
admirable for supplementing the gastric juice; and the state of 
vitality of the fermented Koumiss greatly assists the digestive 
processes. 
Again, an unaltered pure albumen, capable of being taken up 
readily into the system by easy digestion, and such as cannot 
be had in any meat extract (as Liebig felt bound to confess), 
exists in what is known to-day as Plasmon, the albumin of 
fresh milk, and with the original salts, phosphates, etc., all 
retained. It occurs as a dry granular powder, available for 
various culinary modes of preparation. Fresh meat furnishes 
such albumen, and essential salts; but in making an extract 
of the meat much common salt has to be added, and the 
albumen is left in the residue, which extract cannot be fashioned 
into a complete article of food, not even by adding this residue, 
when dried, to the meat extract. But it may be fairly claimed 
that Plasmon is the albumen of milk, not spoilt by any addition 
of salt, and so remaining unchanged, in its nutritive integrity. 
Moreover, it is alleged that one teaspoonful of Plasmon repre- 
sents—as regards the proteids and nutritive organic salts—a 
