CE 
The mean number of organisms cultivable on our ordinary nú- 
trient media thus amounts to only 1.1 pCt. of the total number of 
bacteria present; the mean proportional number is 89. 
The whole number of bacteria excreted with the faeces in 24 hours 
by a healthy, full-grown individual, — on the average 8800 mil- 
liards, — is much larger than was hitherto known. GILBERT and 
Dominici’) for instance, note an excretion of 12—15 milliards in 
24 hours; SUCKSDORFF *) gives as mean result above 55 milliards, 
as maximum nearly 408 milliards, and as minimum somewhat less 
than 2 milliards; these numbers thus, remain far behind those 
obtained by the microscopic counting-method. This enormous yield 
of bacteria is still better grasped when making a rough calculation 
of the weight of the bacteria excreted in 24 hours, of the percent- 
age of solid substance occupied by the bacteria, and of the quantity 
of nitrogen which they contain; we here assume that 30 milliards 
of bacteria weigh 1 mgr. (NAEGELI), that 15° of the bacterium 
consists of solid matter, and that 10% of this matter is occupied 
by N. 
NB Be TN 
. cone | ae Pas = rule) lms ee en 46 3 
2 e:S.5 Se 5 ao : On KOE 
oP en n 0 = o xs © a In ves 
on SSRs we | ne 8 = pe ae ok 
es a So 3 oo A ee Et S= a Ss 
ae Aes e.) S05 |S eo 8 212 coe 
5 25 Ag se Sm). ey 2 a oF cS) ben 
or Ss ® … OH 8 5 Cis) aa) ie es EEDE 
Ss es : 2 Se py a SS 
oo SRS Aer O-m eS =) Co a. ay ae 
‘= Le o ee 
ua A88 E24 Woo 6) eee 
Mean 21.96 8800 milliards. | 293 mers. 0.13 % 4.39 mers. 
Wet ERROR > | 826 > 0.34 9, 12.39 » 
| 
Minimum — 3000 » | 100» 0.039 0/, 1.5 » 
Whereas, on the average 98,9°/, of the bacteria present in human 
faeces, can under no known circumstances be grown on our artifi- 
cial media, it is obvious that we should now consider the second alter- 
native, alleged before, viz. that these 98,9°/, of the faeces- bacteria have 
died, or are at least so much attenuated, that they can no more 
multiply on our artificial media. Generally it is much more trouble- 
some to state the death than the life of an organism; the existence 
of vital functions is in most cases easily observable, whilst on the 
') Gitpert et Domrntct, Semaine médicale 1894 p. 76. 
2) Sucksporrr. Das quantitative Vorkommen von Spaltpilzen im menschlichen 
Darmkanale. Archiv. f, Hygiene Bd. IV, 
