74 



Scientific Proceedings (118). 



such condition were of the most aggravated type, responded 

 within the course of less than a week to the use of one quart of 

 acidophilus milk daily without any added lactose. A very close 

 correlation between the clinical and bacteriological results was 

 established. Two other subjects who for many years had had 

 marked enteroptosis and a condition approaching at times intes- 

 tinal stasis yielded readily to the administration of one quart of the 

 milk plus ioo grams of lactose, and after the first few days required 

 only 500 c.c. of the milk with as little as 25 to 50 grams of added 

 milk sugar daily. A fifth subject, however, obtained little relief 

 from the treatment until at least two weeks after the first applica- 

 tion. Within a month his condition was greatly improved. Two 

 other subjects acted somewhat similarly, and another required a 

 quart of the acidophilus milk plus 150 grams of sugar daily before 

 a satisfactory response was obtained. In every instance sufficient 

 relief was obtained to enable the patient to dispense, for the time 

 at least, with the use of a cathartic, and a general, though at times 

 slow, improvement of the patient's condition was manifested. 

 More recently, however, one subject failed to react appreciably 

 to the treatment, even when the amount of sugar was greatly in- 

 creased. We shall expect to find other exceptions. 



Chronic diarrhea. 

 One of the two cases of chronic diarrhea following bacillary 

 dysentery responded readily to the use of one quart of acidophilus 

 milk daily. He was a Bohemian, male, forty-two years old, and 

 had, with brief intermissions t suffered from the condition since 

 1907. The other was a returned Red Cross nurse who had con- 

 tracted bacillary dysentery while on duty in the Balkans during 

 the recent war. She obtained almost immediate relief, but experi- 

 enced cycles of increasing and decreasing disturbance. She 

 continued taking 500 c.c. of acidophilus milk daily for at least three 

 months. During this time the more serious phase of the cycle 

 became less and less acute until it became barely noticeable and 

 the subject considered herself practically recovered. During the 

 past two months she has reported from time to time, and consumed 

 about one pint of the milk per week. She has had no recurrence 

 of the diarrhea, and is able to devote her entire time to her occupa- 

 tion. 



