196 THE ACTION OF THE LIVING CELL 



plete diet. Similarly any other means which promotes 

 faulty absorption in one way or another leads to the 

 same ends. 



Some years ago it occurred to the writer that such 

 faulty absorption of essential foods might be brought 

 about by the admixture of various substances with an 

 otherwise satisfactory diet. Various irritants such as 

 mustard and silver nitrate were tried without any 

 especially gratifying results. Shortly thereafter, it was 

 found that the desired result could be achieved by add- 

 ing large quantities of beef extractives and bouillon 

 cultures of B. coli to an otherwise satisfactory diet. 

 Rats kept on such a diet died within a month. As the 

 blood was found to be sterile, death was not due to a 

 bacteriemia. In agreement with this, it was found 

 that the same end resulted when the bacteria were 

 omitted but the feeding of large quantities of beef ex- 

 tract was continued. (Turck, 1906, 1908.) 



Dogs treated similarly usually died in about three 

 months. At autopsy the blood was found sterile, but 

 marked evidences of cytost action were apparent. The 

 viscera were found to be markedly congested, and in 

 many instances multiple peptic ulcers were found. 

 These latter were indicative of the fact that autolysis 

 had taken place. At the time it was noted that "there 

 was no bacteriemia, no inflammatory reaction in the 

 form of round cell infiltration such as one would ex- 

 pect in a reactionary inflammation induced by pyo- 

 genic microorganisms or toxins. It was not the pic- 

 ture of reaction to an infection, not the picture of a 

 local acting agent, but rather of a systematic condition, 

 and of an induced cellular change." (Turck, 1906.) 



The question of exercise has been fully discussed 



