INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 221 



in the human intestine and of their pathological effects, 

 we are able to give in most instances only very inade- 

 quate answers. 



BASIC SUBSTANCES 



In the course of putrefaction of proteids in the 

 intestine ammonia is regularly formed. It does not 

 appear, however, that it is formed in quantities or 

 under conditions which render it toxic to the organ- 

 ism, although, as elsewhere stated, it is possible that 

 ammonium butyrate acts as a local irritant. The 

 organism is well adapted to care for moderate quanti- 

 ties of ammonia, which, as is well known, is united with 

 carbon dioxide in the liver and elsewhere to form urea. 

 The splitting-off of ammonia from amino-acids formed 

 in the course of normal digestion is a physiological pro- 

 cess of fundamental importance and it is probably 

 owing to the physiological arrangements necessary for 

 the disposal of ammonia in a relatively non-toxic form 

 that the organism is able to tolerate the digestion of 

 large quantities of ammonia-forming foods. Likewise 

 we know nothing of any toxic action from methylamin 

 or other alkyl amines. It has been supposed that 

 guanidin 1 and methyl guanidin sometimes arise in the 

 course of certain kinds of putrefaction. While it cannot 

 be denied that this may be the case, we have at present 

 no knowledge that it is the case, and are unable to 

 correlate any clinical conditions with the formation and 



1 Kutcher showed that guanidin may be an end-product of 

 prolonged pancreatic digestion. He found the base in the arginin 

 fraction. 



