| Abstrakt: |
To the Editor:—In The Journal, July 25, page 273, appears an editorial comment discussing how bacteria enter the intestinal tract in spite of the germicidal action of the gastric juice.Is it not usually assumed that the new-born baby's intestinal tract is sterile, but that within a few hours after birth the tract is well populated with bacteria? At this time of life gastric secretion is small, and the stomach offers no serious obstacle to the passage of bacteria. After lodging in the intestinal tract, where they find excellent food and temperature conditions, it would seem that they had found a permanent location. It is true that the intestinal flora at this time of life is different from the flora of later life, but a variety of types is represented, nevertheless, and as conditions in the intestinal tract change with advancing life, a different type gains prominence.It is |
