220 PHYSIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. 



formed by digestion. The putrefaction may be of benefit to the 

 organism so far as the formation of such products as albumoses, 

 peptones, and perhaps also certain amido-acids is concerned. On 

 the contrary, the formation of further splitting products is to be 

 considered as a loss of valuable material, and it is therefore impor- 

 tant that putrefaction in the intestine is kept within certain 

 limits. If an animal is killed while digestion in the intestine is 

 going on, the contents of the small intestine give out a peculiar 

 but not putrescent odor. Also the odor from the contents of the 

 large intestine is far less offensive than a putrefying pancreas in- 

 fusion or a putrefying mixture rich in albumin. From this we may 

 conclude that putrefaction in the intestine is ordinarily not nearly 

 so intense as outside of the organism. 



It seems thus to be provided, under physiological conditions, 

 that putrefaction shall not proceed too far, and the factors which 

 here come under consideration are probably of different kinds. 

 Absorption is one of the more important of them, and it has been 

 proved by actual observation that the putrefaction increases, as a 

 rule, as the absorption is checked and fluid masses accumulate in 

 the intestine. The character of the food also has an unmistakable 

 influence, and it seems as if a large quantity of carbohydrates in 

 the food acts against putrefaction (HIRSCHLER). A specially strong 

 action tending to prevent putrefaction is observed in the bile. This 

 anti-putrid action does not occur in neutral or faintly -alkaline bile, 

 which itself easily putrefies, but in the free bile-acids, especially in 

 taurocholic acid (MALY and EMICH, LINDBERG^ER). There is no 

 question that the free bile-acids have a strong preventive action on 

 putrefaction outside of the organism, and it is therefore difficult to 

 deny such an action in the intestine. Notwithstanding this the 

 anti -putrid action of the bile in the intestine is contradicted by 

 certain investigators (Vorr, ROHMANN). 



Biliary fistulas have been introduced so as to study the impor- 

 tance of the bile in digestion (ScHWANisr, BLONDLOT, BIDDER and 

 SCHMIDT, and others). As a result it has been observed that from 

 fatty foods an imperfect absorption of fat regularly takes place, 

 and the excrements contain, therefore, an excess of fat and have a 

 light-gray or pale color. How long after the operation the devia- 

 tion from the normal appears depends essentially upon the char- 



