12 



antiseplic properties. Bacteria flourish in juice obtained from ma- 

 ceration of the pancreas (Kohlbrugge 32), and our common moulds 

 grow well in tiypsin (Fermi 15). Hirokawa (27) found that B. coli 

 and a number of other bacteria grew well in the bile from man, 

 and Macfayden, Nencki, and Sieber (40) got similar results from 

 their cultural experiments of microorganisms with 2 % bile. 



Up to the time of Kohlbrugge, succus entericus — alkaline and 

 rich in food substances — was held to be an exceptionally hne 

 media for bacteria. Indeed, Horowitz showed that it had a decided 

 favorable influence on the growth of bacteria (Kuster 34). The 

 scarcity of the bacterial flora in the small intestine of man has 

 been noticed, however, and Kohlbrugge (33) attemps to explain 

 this peculiarity by assuming an »auto-sterilization» of the intestinal 

 wall. Microorganisms in contact with the mucosa of the small 

 intestine were killed and a reduction in the secretion of succus 

 entericus — as in pathogenic ca ses — led to an increase in the 

 number of bacteria in the intestine. A complete auto-sterilization of 

 the intestine does not take place in the case of dog, rabbit, and a 

 few other animals, and Kohlbrugge warns against generaliza- 

 lion of his results obtained from man. 



Any toxic effect of succus entericus has not been noticed. Fungous 

 spores fed to rabbits (discussed more in detail below) were recovered 

 in cultures as easily from the small intestine as from the large, 

 upon the death of the animal. Further evidence is given by Macfay- 

 den, Nencki, and Sieber (40) who — as mentioned above — iso- 

 lated fungi from the small intestine of man. 



While it holds true that the intestinal juices have no toxic etfect 

 on fungous spores, it is equally true, that a concentration of hyå- 

 rochloric acid identical with or slightly higher than that of the 

 gastric juice, does not destroj^ the vitality of spores of Aspergillus 

 and Penicillium at ordinär}^ temperatures. A very different etfect 

 was found from incubation of certain species at high temperatures. 

 Spores of Penicillium notatum and P. frequentans sown in artificial 

 gastric juice and incubated at 37^ C. were found to have lost their 

 vitality after 48 hours. Control cultures kept at approximately 

 25^ C, the optimum for these species, invariably showed growth. 

 None of the thermophilous species isolated from man and warm- 

 blooded animals and incubated at 37^ C. in the artificial juice, 

 were found to be killed. Penicillium ovellaneum had even ger- 

 minated and developed a rich growth of hyphae. The temperature 



