Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-15
SOUR MILK.
Science Confirms Theory of the Sim
ple Ancients.


example Of the vindication of popular
customs by science. Just as explora-
ton is apt to vindicate historical tra-
ditions against the destructive criti-
cism of theoretical historians, so does
scientific research not infrequently
reveal kernel of solid truth in pop
ular beliefs and practices which have
been ignored or hastily assumed to be
mere superstitions and condemned by
defective knowledge unconscious of
its defects From time immemorial
curdled milk in various forms has not
only been a favorite article of diet
among pastoral people, but has been
credited with medicinal qualities. In
the Aryan system Of medicine, which
goes back to a date long anterior TO
Hippocrates, who is, indeed, believed
by some writers to have acquired his
knowledge from India, much attention
is paid to milk. 1t is prescribed both
fresh and in the form Of curds, whey
and ghoita, which is translated "clari-
fed butter; and the properties of
milk from a number Of animals-tlie
COW, buffalo, goat, sheep, elephant,
oss AMI camel-are DISTINGUISHED.
calcn. in his commentary IN The
aphorisms of Hippocrat4s. recoih.
mends whey in some intestinal affec-
tions; but when knowledge came to
be measured by the number Of recon-
dite drugs the learned could call to
their aid such simple substances fell
out of favor. DR.. Quincy's English
Dispensatory," published about the
beginning of the eighteenth century,
contains among the diet drinks" one
or two prescriptions in which whey is
the medium, but he evidently ascribed
no particular virtue to it and attached
more importance to the other ingre-
dients. From later pharmacopoeias
and medical treatises sour milk dis
appeared altogether, and generally
speaking only fresh milk was recog-
nized as a staple article Of light diet
in fevers and other forms of illness.
About thirty years ago Tactic acid
came to be used, both internally and
externally, for diptheria and some
other affections in the United States
and on the continent, and it was OBJ
served to have some action on mi
ro-organisms; but its use was quite
empirical and had no reference to in
70
critics more recently elucidated and
applied on scientific grounds.
The knowledge which has led to
the present development was reached
by a different road. The story goes
back for more than half century,
to those researches by Pasteur into
the nature of fermentation, which laid
the foundation Of bio-chemistry and
bacteriology. 1t was mainly with sour
milk and Tactic fermentation that he
began his momentous observations at
the Lille School Of Science about
1855. BY 1860 he had proved in the
teeth of all accepted scientific teach
ing that these chemical changes were
effected by micro-organisms Whlch
cause the souring of milk by convert
ing lactose or milk sugar into lacuc
acid and produce analogous changes
in other sugar-containing Hulds.
Later on he showed that this property
was possessed by an indefinite num-
ber of organisms and that the COM
monty observed differences In color,
taste and smell in the innumeraple
nreparations made from curdled
milk depended on the particular vital
agents employed, which produce
their own molecular arrangements OF
the chemical elements. But 1t was a
long time before these processes were
suspected Of having any influence on
health. When the connection or dls-
ease with bacteria and micro organ
isms generally was first estapllsneo
attention was concentrated on tnat
side and the tendency was to regard
all germs as harmful. 1t still fingers,
as when the number of germs pres
ent in anything is taken to be the
measure of it's purity of harmful
ness, wholly irrespective OF their
character, and the one requisite FOR
health is held to be the complete eX-
clusion of all germs from the body.
That is still the working belief, not
only of the lay. public, but also OF
professional practitioners in health.
But it has long been known that many
organisms are harmless, and for some
time the idea has been gaining ground
that there are beneficial bacteria. the
trend of thought is toward the view
that the struggle for existence ex-
tends to the world of microscopic ele-
mentary plant life, and that nature.
if let alone maintains a balance OF
forces. 1t would follow from this that
lust as the best way to k ep field and
garden insects down is to let small
birds alone, so the best way to deal
with harmful germs is to encourage
their natural enemies. The Tactic
acid theory makes a step in this dl-
rection.
The immediate researches which
have led to it are the work Of sew
eral bacteriologists, among whom
Prof. Metchnikoff, who has long
devoted attention to what many years
ago he called the flora of the intes-
tinal tract is the best known to
fame. The starting point appears to
have been the remarkable longevity
of the Bulgarian peasants, who led
the simple life on a very simple diet,
which includes a particular prepara-
ton of curdled milk This substance
was bacteriologically examined in the
laboratory of Prof. Mason of Geneva
by NJ. Grigoroff, who isolated three
acid-forming organisms. The most
active among them was named the
Bacillus bulgaricus, which has sud-
denly achieved notoriety hardly ex-
celled by the most famous and dread
ed of the pathogenic bacteria whose
names have become household words.
It's action was investigated at the
tn In
found to consist in counteracting the
putrefactive changes set up in food
products by other bacteria inhabiting
the intestine. Then the general theory
was worked out that acid-forming or
ganisms have the property Of arrest
ing the growth and activity of putre-
factiNe alkaline ones which cause a