INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 237 



from the urine. The development of hydrogen sulphide 

 in the urine, however, could not be wholly checked. After 

 a time, nevertheless, there was distinct improvement. 

 The size of the abdomen became reduced and, strikingly 

 enough, the blue color of the skin and mucous membranes 

 in the course of a few weeks became much less marked 

 and ultimately scarcely any cyanosis could be detected. 

 Nevertheless by spectroscopic examination the charac- 

 teristic sulphhsemoglobin band in the spectrum remained 

 visible although apparently somewhat weakened. 



AROMATIC PRODUCTS OF PUTREFACTIVE DECOMPOSITION 



Phenol and Cresol. Among the aromatic products 

 of putrefaction are the phenols. In health the intestinal 

 contents contain only small quantities of these sub- 

 stances. In some pathological conditions attended by 

 excessive putrefaction in the intestine they are found in 

 the intestinal contents in amounts considerably above 

 the normal amount, which is always small. The quan- 

 tities found are, however, never large never so large, 

 for example, as in the case of indol. What are the con- 

 ditions of bacterial decomposition which lead to this 

 production of phenol it is at present impossible to state 

 with confidence. Phenol is doubtless derived from the 

 breaking-down of tyrosin, and it is therefore in decom- 

 positions in which tyrosin-containing foodstuffs are in- 

 volved that we would expect to find the phenols in 

 greatest amount. I am not able to say whether the facts 

 of experience correspond to this view. Of the common 

 proteid foods, milk is one which yields considerable 



