INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 97 



would presumably be facilitated in a high degree by the 

 accelerated movement of the blood serum during active 

 exercise. Ficker thinks it probable, also, that at the 

 time of greatly increased muscular exercise the body 

 cells generally, including those of the intestinal tract, 

 suffer a temporary check in their metabolism and hi 

 their ability to liberate energy. This temporary cell 

 infirmity is supposed in some way to influence the intes- 

 tinal epithelium so as to favor the passage of bacteria. 

 Ficker further suggests that through his experiments 

 are explained the well-known observations that the 

 flesh of animals that have been slaughtered after having 

 been driven long distances very quickly decomposes 

 after the killing, while, on the other hand, the flesh is 

 much better preserved in animals that are allowed to 

 rest for several days before being killed. He also raises 

 the question whether the penetration of the intestinal 

 tract by bacteria may not explain some of the phenomena 

 that have been noted after great fatigue, for example, 

 the so-called "fever of exhaustion," and also the state 

 designated by the older physicians as "autotyphization." 



PHYLOGENETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LARGE INTESTINE 



In the study of the physiology and pathology of 

 the digestive tract it is necessary to realize the impor- 

 tance of certain functions in the development of the race 

 which may be too readily overlooked because they no 

 longer possess the significance for the maintenance of 

 life that was formerly the case. There can be little 

 doubt that one important function of the large intestine 



