220 INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 



of acetone by intestinal bacteria. Schardinger 1 found 

 an organism which he called B. mascerans which gave a 

 mixture of acetone and alcohol during the fermentation 

 of various carbohydrates. 



An organism was also found by Braudat 2 which was 

 able to produce acetone in a peptone solution. This 

 bacterium was derived from the drinking water of a town 

 in France, which came from a subterranean well. It was 

 a Gram-negative facultative aerobe capable of liquefy- 

 ing gelatin. Under certain conditions this organism 

 developed spores. On potato it gave rise to a violet 

 color. The organism was described under the name of 

 B. violarius acetonicus. 



When we turn to the consideration of the nitrogen- 

 holding and sulphur-holding products of putrefactive 

 cleavage, the scantiness of our knowledge comes into view 

 with almost discouraging clearness. That putrefactive 

 processes are attended by the formation of bases, such 

 as ammonia, amines, diamines (such as putrescin and 

 cadaverin), cholin, neurin, sulphur compounds, and va- 

 rious aromatic bodies, has been known many years, 

 and something has been learned, though by no means 

 enough, about the media and the bacteria which deter- 

 mine the presence and proportions of these substances. 

 When, however, we ask ourselves what we can safely 

 say of the conditions under which such substances arise 



1 " Mitteilung aus der staatlichen Untersuchungsaustalt fiir 

 Lebensmittel," Wien. klin. Wochenschr., xvii, p. 207, 1904. 



J "Sur un nouveau microbe producteur d'acetone," Ann. de 

 Vlnst. Pasteur, xx, p. 874, 1906. 



