518 DIGESTION. 



It seems thus to be provided, under physiological conditions, that 

 putrefaction shall not proceed too far, and the factors which here come 

 into consideration are probably of different kinds. Absorption is 

 undoubtedly one of the most 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 putre- 

 faction (HmscHLER 1 ). It has been shown by POHL, BIERNACKI, 

 ROVIGHI, WINTERNITZ, ScHMiTZ, and others 2 that milk and kephir 

 have a specially strong preventive action on putrefaction. This action 

 is not due to the casein, but chiefly to the lactose and also in part to the 

 lactic acid. 



A specially strong preventive action on putrefaction has been 

 ascribed for a long time to the bile. This anti-putrid action does not 

 exist in neutral or faintly alkaline bile, which itself easily putrefies, but 

 to the free bile-acids, especially taurocholic acid (MALY and EMICH, 

 LiNDBERGER 3 ). 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 acid reacting con- 

 tents of the intestine. Notwithstanding this, the anti-putrid action 

 of the bile in the intestine is not considered by certain investigators 



(VOIT, ROHMANN, HlRSCHLER and TERRAY, LANDAUER and ROSEN- 



BERG 4 ) as of great importance. 



Biliary fistulas have been established so as to study the importance 

 of the bile in digestion (SCHWANN, BLONDLOT, BIDDER and SCHMIDT/ 

 and others). As a result it has been observed that with fatty foods an 

 imperfect absorption of fat regularly takes place and the excrement 

 contains, therefore, an excess of fat and has a light-gray or pale color. 

 The extent of deviation from the normal after the operation is essen- 

 tially dependent upon the character of the food. If an animal is fed 

 on meat and fat, then the quantity of food must be considerably increased 

 after the operation, otherwise the animal will become -very thin, and 



1 Hirschler, Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem., 10; Zimnitzki, ibid., 39 (literature). 



2 Schmitz, ibid., 17, 401, which gives references to the older literature, and 19. See 

 also Salkowski, Centralbl. f. d. med. Wiss., 1893, 467, and Seelig, Virchow's Arch., 

 126 (literature). 



3 Maly and Emich, Monatshefte, f. Chem., 4; Lindberger, footnote 4, p. 506. 

 4 Voit, Beitr. zur Biologie, Jubilaumschrift, Stuttgart, 1882; Rohmann, Pfluger's 



Arch. 29; Hirschler and Terray, Maly's Jahresber., 26; Landauer, Math, u. Naturw. 

 Ber. aus Ungarn, 15; Rosenberg, Arch. f. (Anat. u.) Physiol., 1901. 



6 Schwann, Miiller's Arch. f. Anat. u. Physiol., 1844; Blondlot, cited from Bidder 

 and Schmidt, Verdauungssafte, etc., 98. 



