The common causes of fermentation are the same as those of superacidity (see p. 420), the difference being that superacidity originates in the stomach, and is confined chiefly to it, while fermentation may take place throughout the entire intestinal tract. The causes are-- 1 Overeating 2 Too much acid fruit 3 An excess of sweets 4 Stimulants of the alkaloid group 5 Overeating of cereal products FERMENTATION--THE SYMPTOMS [Sidenote: Difference between superacidity and fermentation] The first evidence of fermentation is a burning sensation in the stomach, almost exactly as in superacidity, the difference being that in cases of fermentation the symptoms appear later after eating. Superacidity may appear immediately after eating, and the symptoms such as a lump in the stomach, or a sour fluid rising in the throat may also appear within an hour after meals, but fermentation, which produces the same symptoms, does not manifest itself until the acid has acted upon the food, which requires from two to four hours, governed by the time required to digest the different articles of which the meal is composed. The patient may also experience a fullness; an unpleasant and sometimes painful distention of the bowels. [Sidenote: Results of fermentation] The gas generated by fermentation sometimes passes along down the intestinal tract into the ascending colon, accumulating at the highest point, which is in the transverse colon. This causes the transverse colon to become very much distended and seriously interferes with the blood flow, both into and out of the heart and the lungs. (See "Gastritis," p. 447; also "Heart Trouble," p. 569). In considering the symptoms of fermentation, it might be well to return to the question of causes. The primary cause of nearly all conditions of fermentation, either in the stomach or in the intestinal tract, is overeating, or an unbalanced dietary. This practise indulged in from day to day causes two specific conditions: 1 Fermentation followed by various disorders, usually toxic substances, and catarrh, and ulceration of the stomach 2 Intestinal congestion and physical emaciation If the stomach and other digestive organs are capable of assimilating this superabundance of food, they force into the tissues an excess which Nature stores up in the form of fat, and if work or activity is not increased, or the food diminished, excessive fat or chronic obesity is the result. If the first warnings are not observed, and the remedy applied, Nature gives to the disobedient one more impressive signals in the form of nervousness, irritability, abnormal appetite, and sometimes mental depression, which indicates one of the most advanced stages of superacidity. FERMENTATION--THE REMEDY