Professor Metschnikoff, of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, deserves great credit for having insisted on the importance of introducing certain microbes into the intestines for the purpose of transforming the sugar of their carbohydrate contents into lactic acid, and thus causing the disinfection of the intestines by destroying the noxious germs and hindering their development. For this purpose the so-called Bulgarian bacillus can best be employed, as it is able to transform the cultures of pathologic microbes in the intestines into a beneficient growth that is quite harmless. This Bulgarian bacillus is well known because of its action in producing the sour milk “yoghurt” of the Bulgarian population, to the use of which, according to Metschnikoff, is due the very large number of centenarians to be found in that country. The action of the lactic bacilli has been proved by the experiments of Dr. Herter, of New York,[216] who discovered that by the introduction of large quantities of these bacilli into animals their intestinal putrefaction was diminished. Footnote 216: Herter: Brit. Med. Jour., p. 1898, Dec. 25, 1897. Dr. Michel Cohendy[217] has performed similar experiments on himself. After taking for twenty-five days his usual diet and subsequently noting the degree of his intestinal putrefaction, he took pure cultures of a lactic bacillus, extracted from “yoghurt.” For more than two months he continued to take large quantities of these bacilli (280 to 350 grammes a day). Not only during the course of the experiment did the urine exhibit evidences of a diminution of intestinal putrefaction, but this continued for seven weeks afterward, and he arrived at the conclusion that the lactic acid fermentation due to this bacillus was able to hinder the putrefying action of the microbes developed from the meat he had taken during his experiments. He, therefore, comes to the conclusion that it is unnecessary to discontinue meat food for the suppression of intestinal intoxication if lactic bacilli be taken therewith. Footnote 217: Cohendy: C. R. de la Société de Biologie, Mars 17, 1906. Dr. Pochon, assistant to Professor Combe, of Lausanne, continued upon himself the experiments of Dr. Cohendy. For several weeks he took sour milk (lait caillé) which was prepared from cultures of pure lactic microbes, and he found positive proofs of the checking of intestinal putrefaction thereby.[218] In those, therefore, who are able to procure and use a pure preparation of lactic bacilli, intestinal putrefaction will be greatly diminished. But even when we cannot obtain these preparations we can follow a diet that will tend to develop lactic acid fermentation. This can be brought about by taking carbohydrates in large quantities, especially those which are very rich in sugar, at the same time taking milk, particularly sour milk. Footnote 218: Combe: “L’Auto-intoxication intestinale,” Paris, 1906.