To the Editor: It was interesting to read of the trial conducted by Manley et al1 using yoghurt containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus to clear vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

I would like to add an historical note.

The use of yoghurt in restoring bowel flora was practised by Dr J H Kellogg (of Corn Flakes fame) around the end of the 19th century. Kellogg was the chief physician at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan and was an advocate of high colonic irrigation, for he believed the colon was a sewer of toxic materials that were the causal factor in many diseases. Following this procedure, the patient was given a pint of yoghurt — half to be taken orally, and the remainder given by enema.2,3

By these measures, Kellogg claimed to have cured many conditions, from cancer of the stomach to psychiatric problems.