The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
BACTERIA FRIENDS As WELL As FOEs.
Their value In Making Food Paiatabie and
Digestble.
From n, International Monthly.

The time has passed when bacteria are looked
upon as unmixod evils. These little plants owe
their somewhat unsavory reputat on In large
degree 20 the fact that they first attracted gem
eral interest because Of their power Of produc-
ing disease. That they are the cause Of many
human diseases has been demonstrated be-
yond peradventnre, and this subject
has proved so fascinating that II was for
a long time the only side Of bacteriolog-
ical phenomena which received any consider
able attention. As a result, bacteria IN We ac-
duire the popular reputation Of being pro-
ducers OF evil to mankind, and have conse-
quently been regarded = holly undesirable
organisms The stuGies Of recent years. how
ever. have been giving more attention TO
phases Of archaeological life which are not con-
nccted with disease. These studies have dis
closed To US a large series of phen' mena where
these lit,le plants are, In various ways. of direct
advantage 10 mankind. Among other facts, We
have been slowly learning that in the prcpara-
ton OF the food which CONES uron our tables.
and in lis digestion. the bacIli play no inoonsid-
cradle part.
Since they are almost irconccivably minute.
bacteria owe their great influence in nature to
their wonderful overs OF reproduction Asin-
gle Individual may. In the course ot twsnty-fOur
hours produce from ten to twenty million on
spring. Thi~ extraordinary row r OF rcproduC-
tinn involves the, co 1sumptlon Of q vast amount
" God material, ard profound alterations are
PRODUCED IN this food as the bacteria feed upon
II The baci eriaa arr so small that they probably
do not take the food inside Of their bodies. but
thew live in the midst Of heir foot and digest It
outside of Ilem-alves. This re- suits IN certain
chemical changes in the nature OF the food.
These changes are mostly Of that character
which the chemist calls destruCtiv'. Under the
action o. bacteria, chemical molecules which are
Of a h,sh comP Dnd ys1 are '2 on simr Icing ICING
pounds. A. a result Of this chemical action
here aOpe lrs In he food mass, upon which the
bacteria are feedlng, a variety II new chemical
comp unds These new compounds are In Eart,
simply by-prot uct- o. the chemical destruction
Of the molecules which they have pulled 10
pieces. but they are also. IN Part. 10 hc regarded
a. excr-tions from the bacteria. The u.s. Of
bacteria in connection v, III food depends rarity
upOn their uower Of destruction, AM partly
upon the nature Of the g new compounds which
they produce
In considering he use Of hact ria In food. We
may notice Ara o possible vaIu" they may nos
sa>s IN "a .isting The Processes OF digestion, The
digestion that takes place In our .tGm1Gh and
in the food. Now, the stomach and Intes-
tines are crowded with bacteria IN incor-
ceivahle numbers As baC'erio'ocists have stud
led the action Of these intestinal hRCtc,tn upon
such food as we take int our stomachs. they
find that the bacteria produce chemical HANGS
in n,d ,h : ,f r9G Sir n '9ony T A. tScse I ba t ar =" c SGT q %
grow rapidly In the intestineS, the question, has
naturally arisen whether they may not aid the
digestive jnir' In the digestive proce' :. even In
a healthy individual
II il not easy To arSwCr this question, since II
Ia impossible TO deprive the human intestine OF
its bacteria, and thus determine whether the
digrstivo processes could 20 on readily without
them such an experiment has been tried how.
ever. with certain animals. ForeNample, n lotot
chicks have been hn'chcd from eggs by art fetal
means. under Cnnd tio7s which have absolutely
excluded bacteria from their food and from
their nlimentRrv canal, The4c chicks have been
com AIRED with others that have been incuhated
under similar conditions, except that the
bacteria have not ben excluded from their
gvS'em TDOn comparing the two lots OF chicks,
after n fow weeks Or He. II hnS been found mat
those with he bacteria In the elementary canal
have houriShed better. made better use of their
food. and grown more rapidly thon the lot OF
chicks from which the bacteria had been ey-
Guided Now, while all experiments IN this
line have not hpen absolutely in accord, they
have resulted In a strong SUSPICION that the
enter the stomach with IL are not only Of no in
Jury 10 ". but are urOhahly 81 direct advan-
tace IN aiding our digestive organs properly to
handle and make usc Of their nutrimeut
These do not. ly anv means. comprise all the
uses Of bacteria in food products. But they
may serve to show that bacteria hay a decided
usefulness I'm connection with our food. Their
digestion by the chemical changes they produce
In our food, Buttheir chief and IN st Important
usefulness T. In connection win the havoring
material which Ihev rrOduco. Thy hrnish 10
With our vinegar and SOW raj other acid condi-
rents. thew probably dev Ion the favor Of van-
lila aud chocolate, they furnish the 'gamy"
flavor OF meats. They give us all the delicious
large measure To the supplying OF our chooses
with those n lvors which have mude them the
world over such popular and useful articles OF
diet.