The record-union., 1899-04-30
THE MICRoBH AND DIGESTION.

Modern science has thronged man $
path with microbes No matter in what
direction he turns, in what activity ne
engages, What concern for his physical
welfare he takes. the microbes confront
him. Now come German investigators,
and tell us that in the process of diges-
ton the microbe plays an essential part
This has long been denied by scientists,
but the German delivers have now DEM
onstrated, to their own satisfaction, at
least, that without the aid OF the mi
crobe we could not so well digest our
food. The Revue Scientifique''' says
Nencki maintained not only that di-
gestion could take place without MI
crobes, but also that it did so take
place, and the experiments OF Nuttall
and Thierfelder supported this conten-
ton in part for they proved that young
animals could be brought up and kept
for several days in conditions such that
no microbe could penetrate into their
intestinal canals, and that notWith-
standing this they were nourished and
increased in weight
This showed that these intestinal MI
crobes are not necessary. But
Nuttall and Thierfelder neither proved
nor asserted that these microbes were
useless, and we may even conclude the
opposite from their experiments, for the
animals whose intestines were sterilized
grew more slowly than normal animals.
Owing to these results, Max
Schottelius, Professor of Hygiene in the
mi of am
to try some new experiments, which
he made under new and curious condi-
lions.
The result was that Schottelius tried
his hand on chickens, which he had
Matched out under conditions absolutely
excluding microbes, and under such
conditions he attempted to raise the
fowls. But this proved very difficult.
for even a new-laid egg may contain
bacteria within the she'll However, he
adhered to his system under which the
sterilization of the digestive canal was
accomplished as nearly as possible, and
he found that the birds increased slow
ly in weight up to the twelfth day,
same time fowls raised in the ordinary
way fourished finely, increasing 149 per
cent? in weight, while the treated chicks
had gained but % per cent. On the
had gained 250 per cent.
The conclusion was therefore reached
that bacteria have much to do with
building up the fowl and with the
digestive organs This We are told is
big with consequences" The conclu-
sion applies to food for which digestive
ferments exist normally in the intestinal
canal of the young bird Why do these
ferments remain inactive, then, in the
treated bird? The answer is that the
secretion Of fernent is slow in the first
days of life, and are perhaps use
fully replaced at this period by the Sc
cretfons of the microbes which are al
ways ready and abundant
This is confirmed by the fact that
bacteria are not found in fowls fed in
the ordinary way before the thirty
sixth to the fortieth hour. During that
period there is no increase in weight,
but when the bacilli appear regular
nutrition begins The summing up is,
according to the translation of the Lit
erary Digest:
Our whole life implies the existence
of state Of 'symbiosis" Condition of
mutual assistance) with the occupants
of our intestinal canal, and We can no
longer deny the part they play in di-
gestion; we should measure it and en-
deavor to aid or restrain it according
to circumstances, to render it hygienic
and cause it to contribute to health,
instead of being the cause of both tenn
porary arrangements and chronic dis
orders, as is now often the case