A great variety of germs
are found in drinking water, and no doubt countless numbers are taken
into the digestive tract, and the principal reason why pathological
conditions do not occur more frequently is on account of the
germicidal qualities of the gastric juice.
The comma bacillus of Koch, and the typhoid fever germ of Eberth, are
especially destroyed in normal gastric juice. When the germs are very
numerous, they run the gauntlet of the stomach (as the gastric juice
is secreted only during digestion); and once in the alkaline
intestinal canal they are capable of setting up disease, other
conditions contributing--ill health, deranged digestion, etc.
Mittnam has made a study of bacteria beneath the nails, and reports,
after examining persons following different occupations, having found
numerous varieties of micro-organisms; which are interesting from a
scientific standpoint relative to the importance of thoroughly
cleansing the hands before undertaking any surgical procedure. He
found, out of twenty-five experiments, 78 varieties of bacteria, of
which 36 were classed as micrococci, 21 diplococci, 18 rods, 3
sarcinae, and 1 yeast. Cooks, barbers, waiters, etc.
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