FERMENTED MILK 483 



The same writer in another paper shows that intestinal 

 putrefaction as indicated by the excretion of ethereal sulphates 

 in the urine was materially reduced by the addition of a sour 

 milk to the diet and that this reduction, which may reasonably 

 be attributed to a disinfection of the large intestine, continued 

 after the ingestion of sour milk was discontinued. This may 

 be taken as an indication that the growth of the bacteria con- 

 tinued after their introduction ceased. This disinfecting 

 action of the lactic acid culture was not appreciably influenced 

 by variations in the amount of sugar eaten, indicating that the 

 ordinary diet contains sufficient sugar to support the growth 

 of the lactic acid bacteria in the intestine. 



Belonovsky arrived at somewhat similar results in experi- 

 ments in which mice were fed a basic ration of sterilized grain 

 and water. Mice which received in addition milk cultures of 

 B. bulgaricus for one and one-half months showed this organism 

 in the droppings 15 days after the last feeding. When the 

 milk cultures were fed for four months, B. bulgaricus was pres- 

 ent in the droppings for four weeks after the last feeding. 

 He states that the bacteria in the droppings, especially the 

 gas-forming bacteria, were very much reduced by feeding B. 

 bulgaricus, but were not affected by the addition of the basic 

 diet of sterile milk or milk curdled with lactic acid. 



Many experiments of a similar nature could be quoted, as 

 well as clinical observations, tending to show that the ingestion 

 of milk cultures of B. bulgaricus reduces or eliminates evidences 

 of intestinal putrefaction. On the other hand, Herter found 

 that in the digestive tract of a monkey, killed after feeding for 

 two weeks on milk soured with B. bulgaricus, this organism was 

 abundant in the upper part of the small intestine only. In the 

 lower part and in the large intestine B. bulgaricus was present 

 in only moderate numbers as compared with other bacteria. 



Rahe, in a recently published paper, maintains that the 

 difference between the B. bulgaricus and certain acid-forming 



