The Haemolytic Organisms of Normal Infants' Faeces

1. No entamoebae, cysts, or other parasites were found. 2. Streptococci were present in the stools of all babies more than three weeks old, but only three haemolytic strains were isolated, which appears to be a lower proportion than occurs in adult stools. 3. Colon bacilli were present in the stools of all babies more than two weeks old, and haemolytic strains occurred in 12 per cent, of the specimens examined, that is in the same proportion as in adult stools. 4. Staphylococcus albus was much more commonly found than in adult stools and in greater abundance. 5. There was no bacteriological difference between the stools of the 78 breast-fed babies and those of the 13 artificially-fed infants, except that the haemolytic strains of B. coli occurred relatively more frequently in the case of the artificially-fed infants but owing to the small number of haemolytic strains isolated it would be unwise to lay too much stress on these figures. In conclusion I wish to offer my sincere thanks to Dr Jewesbury, Physician to the Children's Department of St Thomas's Hospital, for supplying me with the necessary material and for information as to methods of feeding, and I am also greatly indebted to Professor Dudgeon and Dr Wordley for their constant help and advice.