Dr. William Beaumont

• by George Bailey • Published: May 31, 2007

Missouri is proud to name the "Father of Gastric Physiology", Dr. William Beaumont, as one of its long-term residents. The revolutionary physician was practicing at Fort Mackinac for the United States military when, in 1822, he met Alexis St.Martin, who would prove to be his most memorable patient. St. Martin, then an employee of the American Fur Company, had accidentally been shot in the stomach. Dr. Beaumont suspected the wound was fatal, when in fact St. Martin not only survived, but maintained a hole in his stomach for the rest of his life. Throughout the rest of his lengthy and mobile career, Dr. Beaumont would often employ St. Martin, who could no longer work for the American Fur Company, for odd jobs as well as a source of research. The doctor would tie pieces of food to a string and insert them into St. Martin's stomach through the hole left by his wound! By removing them for inspection at timed intervals, he was able to make great progress in the scientific understanding of digestion. Late in his career, Dr. Beaumont went so far as to experiment with the behavior of the stomach under particular atmospheric and emotional conditions. He spent much of his life, including his mature years, in St. Louis.