INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 99 



function just mentioned the large intestine has often 

 served as a reservoir for food, but this function certainly 

 is superfluous in man. These considerations are of 

 importance ; for if it can be shown that the large intestine 

 is not needed either for purposes of inspissation or as a 

 reservoir or as a place of importance in carrying certain 

 digestive processes to an end, there is no reason why the 

 intestine should not, under certain conditions of disease, 

 be shortened by the elimination of a large part of the 

 colon. There is some difference of opinion as to whether 

 animals can live without the large intestine, but the bal- 

 ance of evidence is in favor of their being able to main- 

 tain life even after the large intestine has been excluded. 

 There are also instances in human beings that point to 

 the same conclusion. Dr. Bryant of New York tells 

 me that in one instance he practiced the insertion of the 

 ileum into the rectum. The patient was a woman who 

 lived a considerable period of time in this condition 

 without suffering in nutrition. 



THE IMPORTANCE OF PROMPT RESORPTION FROM THE 

 SMALL INTESTINE 



It is almost self-evident that the prompt resorption of 

 food from the small intestine is one of the most impor- 

 tant factors in preventing the occurrence of excessive 

 putrefactive conditions in the digestive tract. The pas- 

 sage of large quantities of partially digested proteid 

 material into the region of the intestine where anaerobic 

 conditions prevail must necessarily greatly facilitate the 

 bacterial decomposition of proteids in the digestive tract. 



