8 Notes from the Physiological Laboratory 



condensed milk. The twenty-fourth received corn- 

 starch boiled in milk. 



The freshly evacuated faeces of each infant were 

 carefully bottled and labelled, and a drop of a solu- 

 tion of iodine was added to a small portion of each 

 specimen, which was then submitted to microscopi- 

 cal examination. Besides turning the starch blue, 

 and indicating the presence of dextrine by a pecu- 

 liar mahogany-red color, the iodine has the advan- 

 tage of rendering any fats which may be present 

 much more readily apparent. The reaction of each 

 specimen was taken, but though this varied from 

 acid to alkaline and neutral, no correlation between 

 the reactions and the other properties of the speci- 

 mens could be observed. A decoction of each was 

 tested for glucose with freshly-prepared Feh ling's 

 solution, but except in one instance no appreciable 

 amount could be found. 



The presence of starch was exceptional and ap- 

 parently in no degree dependent upon the age of 

 the child. The stools of eighteen out of the 

 twenty-four children contained either no starch, or 

 but a trace, i.e., no more than is frequent in the 

 evacuations of a healthy adult upon a mixed diet. 

 Six of these specimens were from children of three 

 months or less, the youngest being but forty-five 



