100 TRANSFORMATION OF THE INTESTINAL FLORA 



The ingestion of the large amounts of B. bulgaricus milk offered no 

 encouragement for the development of B. bulgaricus in the intestine. 

 (See Tables 65 and 66.) At no time could this organism be recovered 

 from the feces. On the other hand, an appreciable increase took place in 

 the numbers of B. acidophilus, and a partial transformation of the intes- 

 tinal flora was effected. The character and extent of the transforma- 

 tion were the same as when these same subjects (A and D) consumed 

 1000 cubic centimeters of ordinary daily milk along with the ordinary 

 diet. (See Tables 27 and 28.) The milk as such stimulated the growth 

 of B. acidophilus. In fact these two individuals showed some response 

 to even as little as 500 cubic centimeters of plain milk. 



Within five days after the discontinuance of the B. bulgaricus milk 

 B. acidophilus gradually disappeared and the usual complex flora 

 again asserted itself. The results obtained in this series of experiments 

 with human subjects are in full accord with those of Hull and Rettger 

 (1917) and of our own on white rats (pages 11-64), and lead us to 

 the conclusion that B. bulgaricus is unable to adjust itself to the con- 

 ditions prevailing in the intestine of both man and the albino rat, and 

 that so-called implantation of this organism in the intestine is impos- 

 sible, at least under the conditions of the experiments thus far con- 

 ducted. (See Chart 41.) 



After having demonstrated the inability of B. bulgaricus to implant 



CHART 41 



Curves indicating percentage of B. acidophilus and B. bulgaricus appearing i 

 fecal specimens from human subjects. 



Diet — Ordinary daily diet, B. bulgaricus milk 1000 c.c. 



B. acidophilus 



B. bulgaricus ■ 



Ordinates — Per cent of organisms. 

 Abscissae — Number of days after administration of diet. 



