(12) 
other hand, their absence is difficult to prove. If we could, for in- 
stance, with absolute certainty point out that the 98,9°/, of the 
faeces- bacteria are no more able to propagate, only then we should 
have a right to speak of the death, or at least of an attenuation of 
these organisms. But in order to demonstrate this, we should transfer 
these bacteria to a medium of which we know with the same absolute 
certainty, that these lower organisms, if alive, would easily propagate 
thereon. Now, in the faeces themselves these bacteria are found in 
thousands of milliards, accordingly these faeces must at a special 
stadium in the human intestinal canal, be an extremely favorable 
nutriment for our organisms; it is thus obvious that we should 
observe the behaviour of the bacteria in the same faeces out of the 
human body. 
A larger quantity of faeces was for a longer time placed in the 
TABLE V. Faeces N°. 1, placed at 37° C. 
TRS IE gy F = 
lsfu| Ss | GEEEST (ESE [sees E 
. he > ,.* md =| ° 5 * mR 
Periods at | bg &0 SoS Lee eee eee See gs 2 
B) Sn © . oy 2 : e) v VR zg W 2 
[E88 5 ee ei EIS = os asss 5a 
37° C. Sia| 8E ESSsus (88.32/68. °8 | 23 
5s = 0 ra Fey ey ory eee ae 
EEL S28 | Alma Sea (ass A 
tlas Co) ij FER Mas SS 0 al Seat 
7 ha ET aa ne Ee ay" | 1 
| | { | 
Direct examinat. | 11.885 18.09 64.697000 100 182400 355 
| | 
After 1 day 10.275 16.315) 43719900 | = 330/, 208400 210 
| | | 
» 3 days | 10.215 | 15.58 | 26.544000 | — 590, 36000 737 
Dr 10.690 13.51 | 25. 490000 — 619),| 19700 | 1294 
| | 
de Je» 10.112 1644 28 .949000 — 56°/,| 1.284000 | 23 
/0 | 
Em ee Pe la EE EEE ETE TNI AEN TE 
thermostat at 37° C.; by keeping the environment sufficiently damp 
the faeces were prevented from drying, which was further con- 
trolled by repeated determinations of solid substance. After different 
periods a certain quantity of the faeces (10 grs. at the least) was 
examined in the ordinary way. 
We see that the number of bacteria found by microscopic counting 
continually decreases, so that after 7 days already 56 pCt. has 
vanished; but also the cultivable bacteria have diminished in the 
first 5 days, whilst only the seventh day a relatively slight increase 
may be observed. The proportional numbers for the same faeces 
accordingly show important mutations (from 23 to 1294), which 
throw some light on the considerable variations of these numbers 
for the faeces of Tables I and II. 
