10 HARRY WARREN ANDERSON 



cases yielded less than the normal number of positive results. How- 

 ever, Oidium lactis was present in several of the pellagra stools and 

 had an unusual chance to develop before plating on account of the 

 long time in transit from the point of collection (Spartanburg, S. C.)- 

 Only 1 of the pellagra patients showed a large number of yeasts in 

 the first trial. Failure to secure more samples from this person ren- 

 dered the results incomplete. 



The results of Ash ford and those I recorded in a sprue patient 

 indicate that the constant presence of large numbers of yeasts in the 

 stools is more significant than the presence of a few in each sample. 

 For this reason particular attention was "given to those persons in 

 whom a large number of yeasts was found in the first plating, and 

 a special effort was made in such cases to secure samples at intervals 

 from these same persons. It will be shown from the feeding experi- 

 ments that a comparatively small amount of yeast material ingested 

 with the food will cause a very decided increase in the number found 

 in the feces. Therefore, the presence of a large number from 1 sample 

 could be accounted for by the fact that the person had eaten fruit or 

 other food containing an abundance of yeasts. If repeated trials 

 showed a constant large number some other cause would have to be 

 sought. In Table 1 it is seen that 9 healthy persons gave large num- 

 bers *of yeasts on the 1st trial. Subsequent samples from these same 

 persons showed, on the 2nd trial, only 2 giving large numbers, and on 

 the 3rd trial only 1 continued to give positive results. This last case 

 was that of a woman about 65 years old in the Kankakee State Hos- 

 pital for the Insane. A record of this patient showed that she had 

 no gastro-intestinal disorder but was in a very weak condition during 

 the course of the trials. After the 5th positive sample had been 

 obtained she died from a cerebral hemorrhage. She was given the 

 ordinary diet. 



Table 1 shows that none of the diarrheal patients gave large num- 

 bers of yeasts, and that in only 1 pellagra patient was there an unusual 

 number present. These results indicate that in the sprue case the 

 constant presence of a large number of yeasts in the feces has some 

 special significance. From the fact that in sprue the stools are decidedly 

 acid, and that acidity favors the development of such organisms as 

 those found in sprue patients, one might argue that their presence is 

 only indicative of abnormal conditions arising from other causes. Thus 

 the thrush organism develops in the mouth of infants before the 

 secretions render it alkaline, and a number of investigators have stated 



