68 INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 



in the course of twenty-four or forty-eight hours a moder- 

 ate quantity is usually formed. Skatol has not been 

 observed, but traces of phenol were regularly found. 



Although the putrefactive decompositions in the 

 intestinal tract are normally very limited in both nurs- 

 lings and bottle-fed children, they are often somewhat 

 higher, as the foregoing pages indicate, in the case of 

 breast-fed children. The reasons for this are not en- 

 tirely clear. 



The urine of healthy bottle-fed children does not 

 differ from that of nurslings in any essential particulars. 

 The ethereal sulphates perhaps tend to be excreted in 

 rather larger amounts in proportion to the total nitro- 

 gen and preformed sulphates. Indican is usually absent 

 or present only in traces. 



