INFECTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT 321 



is a material aid in restricting putrefactive conditions in 

 the upper part of the digestive tract. These measures 

 are of much more service if supplemented by the process 

 of flossing the teeth. It is, however, easy to exaggerate 

 the importance of the oral conditions especially hi the 

 direction of assuming that a really cleanly mouth will 

 insure a disappearance of excessive putrefaction in the 

 intestine. While it is evident that to swallow large 

 numbers of putrefactive anaerobes which have grown 

 in the mouth (in cases where the stomach is unable to 

 destroy these organisms) must tend to increase the 

 intensity of the putrefactive processes in the intestine, 

 it does not follow that a patient will promptly convalesce 

 if this additional increment of bacteria be removed. 

 Some improvement is perhaps to be expected through 

 the cleansing of a very offensive mouth, but the per- 

 manent eradication of the intestinal conditions (when 

 this is possible) depends on a number of factors and not 

 upon one. There are cases in which an oral butyric 

 putrefaction occurs very rapidly after a meal. In such 

 cases food which is lodged in the teeth will hi the course 

 of an hour develop an intense odor of butyric acid. It 

 is not yet certain upon which organisms this putrefaction 

 depends. It is not impossible that the decomposition 

 may be due to aerobic producers of butyric acid, but 

 it seems probable that anaerobes are at least to some 

 extent concerned in many instances. 



The suitable care of the stomach may also be a factor 

 in controlling putrefactive decompositions in the in- 

 testines. In persons suffering from atony of the stomach 



