INTESTINAL PUTREFACTION. 63 



Prepare a mixture of lean chopped beef and coagulated 

 egg-white in equal amounts, and add thereto about 1 liter 

 of water to each pound of material employed. 



If cultures of colon bacillus are available, sterilize the 

 flask and its contents and add some of the culture. Other- 

 wise make the mixture alkaline (add to each liter 100 c.c. 

 of 10% Na 2 C0 3 ), and inoculate with some meat which has 

 been allowed to putrefy. After shaking thoroughly stop the 

 flask with a bored cork which is provided with a glass tube 

 to which is attached a valve (wash-bottle) of mercuric 

 cyanide (3 per cent). This serves to collect the methyl 

 mercaptan and to render the flask less odorous. Allow the 

 flask to remain at 40 C. for two to three weeks. The 

 separation of the products takes place as follows: 



Distil the putrefactive mixture with steam until the 

 distillate equals one-half the volume of the original mixture. 

 There is thus provided, 1, a distillate (A) ; and, 2, a distil- 

 lation residue (A), which will be treated separately. 



Distillate A. 



Acidify with weak HC1 and redistil (usually one-half volume). 



Distill 



llate B. Distillation-residue B. 



Make alkaline with (NH 4 C1.) 



KOH and again distil. 



Distillate C. Distillation-residue C. 



Keep the first few c.c. Saturate with CO, gas 



of this distillation sep- and redistil, 



arate from the rest 

 (Indole and Skatole). 



ite D. Distillation-residue D. 



(Phenols.) (Fatty adds.) 



