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

From the International Monthly.
The time has passed when bacteria are
looked upon as unmixed evils. These little
plants owe their somewhat unsayory 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 archaeological phenomena which re-
ceived any considerable attention. AS re-
suit bacteria have acquired the popular
reputation of being producers or 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 bac-
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
bacilli play no inconsiderable part
Since they are almost inconceivably mi
mute, bacteria owe their great influence in
nature to their wonderful powers Of repro
duction. A single individual may, in the
course of twenty-four hours, produce from
ten to twenty million offspring. This ex-
traordinary power Of reproduction involves
the consumption of vast amount of food
material, and profound alterations are pro-
duced in this food as the bacteria feed upon
1t. 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 a high complextty 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, a 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.
but they are also in part to be regarded as
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 a
chemical change in the food. Now, the
stomach and intestines are crowded with
bacteria In inconceivable numbers. As bac-
tertologists 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 healthy indi-
vidual.
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
60 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 hy artificial