11 



nation power set back, growth would take place when the spores 

 were brought into favorable conditions for development. 



The action of the gastric and other juices in the digestive appa- 

 ratus may be considered next. The antiseptic properties of gastric 

 juice due to the presence of free hydrochloric acid ha ve long been 

 recognized. The earher investigators of the intestinal flora e. g. 

 BiENSTOCH attributed to the gastric juice an extraordinary power of 

 killing foreign niicroorganisms (Kuster 34). Recent researclies, 

 especially those of Kohlbrlgge (32), liave shown, however, that 

 any generahzation on tliis point is not possible. DifFerent micro- 

 organisms show different degrees of resistance, and although the 

 stomach has no speciahzed bacterial flora, »wilde Keime» are con- 

 stantly found in the ingesta and reach the intestine in spite of the 

 gastric juice. This may partly be explained by the inabihty of the 

 gastric juice to penetrate the ingesta (Kohlbrugge 32). As a result 

 of this only the outermost layers of the food are acted upon, while 

 the inner parts show neutral or alkaline reaction (Macfayden, 

 Nencki, and Sieber 40). While it is easy to conceive of micro- 

 organisms escaping the acidsecreting mucosa of animals, particularly 

 in herbivorous animals, in this way, it becomes doubtful whether 

 in man a similar escape is possible. The fate of a given organism 

 that has reached the stomach of man, is probably determined 

 exclusively by its ability to resist the unfavorable conditions which 

 it is being exposed to there. 



To test the action on fungous spores of a concentration of hyd- 

 rochloric acid identical with that present in the stomach, artificial 

 gastric juice of the following formula was prepared (Halliburton 21): 

 Water 99.44 CaCl^ O.ooe Cag (POJ^j 

 Pepsin 0.32 NaCl 0.i4 Mgg (PO O oi 

 HCl 0.20 KCl 0.05 FePO^ j 



The liquid was distributed in test tubes, inoculated with different 

 moulds and kept at room temperature. Germination and grow^th 

 occurred in Penicilliam notatum and P. frequentans as well as in the 

 thermophilous species isolated from warm-blooded animals. 



These results seem to be in accordance with those of Fermi (15) 

 who grew successfully »P. glaiicum>y and many thermophilous spe- 

 cies of Aspergillus in acid pepsin of the following composition: 

 pepsin 1,5 g; hydrochloric acid 1 g.; glycerine 1 g.; aqua dist. 500 c. c. 



With regard to the effect of other digestive juices experiments 

 have showen that the bile and pancreatic juice do not possess any 



