Am.  Jour.  Pharnj.l 
January,  1908.  J 
Kefir  and  Its  Preparation. 
21 
The  ferment  employed  for  the  preparation  has  the  appearance  of 
crumbs  or  grains  of  various  sizes,  cauliflower-like  in  form.  When 
in  the  dry  condition  these  possess  a  yellow  to  a  brick-red  color, 
while  in  the  moist  condition  they  appear  whitish  in  color. 
The  Kefir  grains  examined  under  the  microscope  appear  to  be 
composed  of  two  morphologic  forms — yeast  cells  {Saccharomyces 
Cerevisiae  Meyen)  and  bacteria  proper,  having  the  form  of  cylindrical 
threads  or  rods  and  of  their  spores  which  Kerman  and  Krannhalls 
called  Dispora  Cancasica. 
H.  Struve  considers  the  above  bacteria  as  animal  fibers,  originat- 
ing from  bags  made  of  hide,  the  so-called  "  burdiuk  "  in  which 
kefir  is  prepared  on  the  Caucasus. 
Drs.  L.  Nencki  and  A.  Fabian,  in  their  work  on  kefir,  discredit  the 
above  assertions  of  Struve  as  unfounded,  claiming  in  turn  that 
besides  the  fibers  described  by  him  they  found  the  kefir  grains  to 
contain  Hay  bacteria  {Bacillus  subtilis)  the  so-called  mildew  grains 
of  the  Oidium  variety  and  the  bacteria  of  butter  (Bacillus  butyricus.) 
The  ferment  described  above  is  variously  styled  by  the  Tartars 
thus — "  Kefir  mildew,"  "  kefir  grains,"  or  the  "  millet-seeds  of  the 
Prophet;"  in  continental  Europe  as  "  kefir  champignons  "  or  "  kefir 
mushrooms." 
The  origin  of  kefir  grains  is  not  generally  known ;  the  mountain 
tribes  of  the  Caucasus  consider  them  as  of  sacred  origin  and  hence 
the  name  "  millet  seeds  of  the  Prophet."  This  is  based  on  the 
Oriental  legend  purporting  that  the  first  Mohammed  conferred  this 
blessing  upon  his  chosen  people. 
At  the  present  time  the  purchase  of  the  grains  is  possible  every- 
where—  not  so  twenty  years  ago.  No  one  of  the  Caucasian  tribes- 
men dared  to  offer  it  for  sale  or  even  as  a  gift,  and  this  not  only  to 
the  "  infidels  "  but  to  their  own  kin  as  well,  because  there  existed  a 
strong  belief  that  by  parting  with  some  of  the  grains,  the  remaining 
grains  would  lose  their  fetichic  power  to  ferment. 
The  legendary  custom  of  parting  with  the  grains,  according  to  a 
Russian  authority,  was  closely  adhered  to  :  The  daughter  upon  being 
married  did  not  receive  her  dowry  of  the  grains  outright,  but  upon 
the  first  visit  her  mother  would  leave  her  alone  in  the  room  where 
the  grains  were  stored,  this  as  a  sign  that  in  her  absence  the 
daughter  could  follow  the  American  custom,  "  help  yourself." 
The  probability  of  the  origin  of  the  kefir  grains  Professor  Pod- 
