Bacterial Content of Stomach. 



in 



came apparent that the amount of saliva swallowed by a patient 

 during the two and one half hour period necessary for the complete 

 gastric analysis by the fractional method, was of considerable 

 significance. Only one patient, a case of profound depression, 

 consistently showed a complete absence of bacteria on repeated 

 analyses. Her mouth was usually exceedingly dry. The con- 

 clusion, therefore, was that the absence of saliva was the limiting 

 factor, so far as her bacterial content was concerned. 



It is manifestly impossible to completely prevent the swallow- 

 ing of all saliva during the course of a fractional gastric analysis. 

 The method finally devised, however, proved effective in reducing 

 the swallowing of saliva to a minimum. The procedure consisted 

 in placing an ordinary dental suction tube, which was attached 

 to a running water vacuum pump, in the subject's mouth through- 

 out the analysis. One c.c. of each fraction was plated in triplicate 

 at once upon withdrawal, on both glucose meat infusion agar and 

 lactose meat infusion agar to which brom cresol purple was added. 





Saliva Not Removed 



Saliva Not Removed 



Saliva Removed 



M. SI. 























Bact. 



Total 





Bact. 



Total 





Bact. 



Total 







Per 



Acid- 



Ph 



Per 



Acid- 



Ph 



Per 



Acid- 



Ph 





I c.c. 



ity 





1 c.c. 



ity 





1 c.c. 



ity 





F.C.. . 



15.500 



5 



2.8 









2 



12 



2.8 



£ HR. 



380 



11 



2.7 



310 



35 



2.9 



5 



23 



2.5 



§ 



78 



41 



2.2 



5.100 



37 



30 



8 



52 



1.7 



3 



5 



46 



1.8 



925 



4i 



2.8 



2 



70 



1.4 





60 



25 



2.5 



2,800 



28 



30 



0 



71 



13 



I*.... 



800 



18 



2.7 



no 



36 



2.2 



1 



42 



i-5 



I*.... 



215 



25 



2.3 



95 



43 



1.9 



1 



29 



1-7 



If.... 



55 



6 



2.7 



12 



45 



1.8 



32 



12 



2.0 



2 



no 



28 



2.7 



5.400 



10 



3-7 



* 



2 



3.0 



2*.... 



48,000 



9 



2.7 



3.200 



9 



4-3 



* 







2§.... 



46,000 



10 



2.7 



6,8oo 



16 



3-5 



* 







In the table are presented the bacteriological and chemical 

 results obtained with a psychotic patient (diagnosed manic-de- 

 pressive: manic). Contrast the first two columns of bacterial 

 numbers where saliva was not removed with the column of bac- 

 terial figures where saliva was removed. In the latter instance 

 the first number is 2 and the last, which is the highest, is 32. 

 Such a striking reduction makes the conclusion irresistible : name- 

 ly, that bacterial numbers in the stomach at any one time depend 



