Evening star., 1900-09-29
INFLUENCE OF BACTERIA.
Their Value I'm Making Food Palatable
and Digestible.

ana D1Sest1Dle.
From the International Monthly.
The time has passed when bacteria are
looked upon as unmixed evils. These little
plants owe their somewhat unsavory repu-
tation in large degree to the fact that they
first attracted general interest because OF
their power Of producing disease. That
they are the cause of many human diseases
has been demonstrated beyond peradven-
ture, and this subject has proved so fasci-
mating that 1t was for long time the only
side of meteorological phenomena which re-
ceived any considerable attention As re-
suit bacteria have acquired the popular
reputation of being producers Of evil to
mankind, and have consequently been re-
garded as wholly undesirable organisms.
The studies Of recent years, however, nave
been giving more attention to phases or pac-
THEOLOGICAL life which are not connected
with disease. These studies have disclosed
to US a large series of phenomena where
these little plants are In various ways OF
direct advantage to mankind. Among other
facts we have been slowly learning that
in the preparation of the food which comes
upon our tables. and in its digestion, the
bacfll play no inconsiderable part.
Since they are almost inconcelvably NIL
mute bacteria owe their great influence in
nature to their wonderful powers Of repro
duction. single individual may IN the
course Of twenty-four hours, produce from
traordinary power of reproduction involves
the consumption Of a vast amount of food
material, and profound alterations are pro-
duced In this food as the bacteria feed upon
it. The bacteria are so small that they
probably do not take the food inside OF
their bodies. but they live In the midst OF
their food and digest 1t outside OF them
selves. This results in certain chemical
changes in the nature Of the food. These
changes are mostly of that character which
the chemist calls destructive. Under the
action of bacteria chemical molecules which
are Of high complexity are constantly be-
ing pulled to pieces and reduced to simpler
compounds. AS a result of this chemical
action there appears in the food mass.
upon which the bacteria are feeding, va
riety of new chemical compounds. These
new compounds are In part simply by
products of the chemical destruction of the
molecules which they have pulled to pieces.
excretions from the bacteria. The use of
bacteria in connection with food depends
partly upon their power of destruction and
partly upon the nature of these new COM
pounds which they produce.
In considering the use of bacteria in food
we may notice, first. possible value they
may possess in assisting the processes of
digestion. The digestion that takes place
in our stomach and intestines consists in
chemical change in the food. Now, the
stomach and intestineS are crowded with
bacteria in inconceivable numbers. As bac-
teriologists have studied the action of
these intestinal bacteria upon such food as
we take into our stomachs they find that
the bacteria produce chemical changes In
the food in many respects similar to those
of ordinary digestion. As these bacteria
certainly grow rapidly in the intestines the
question has naturally arisen whether they
may not aid the digestive juice in the di-
gestfve process, even In a healthy indi-
vfdual.
1t Is not easy to answer this question
since 1t Is impossible to deprive the human
intestine of its bacteria. and thus deter
mine whether the digestive processes could
go on readily without them. Such an ex-
pertinent has been tried. however. with GER
tain animals. For example. lot OF chicks
have been hatched from eggs By artificial