16 Facts About William Beaumont

William Beaumont was a surgeon in the US Army who became known as the "Father of Gastric Physiology" for his research on human digestion on Alexis St Martin.

William Beaumont was born to Samuel Beaumont and Lucretia Abel in Lebanon, Connecticut; his father was a farmer.

William Beaumont left his home after he turned twenty-one, moved to Champlain, New York and obtained a teaching job.

From 1812 until 1815, Beaumont served as an assistant surgeon in the Army during the War of 1812, participating in the Battle of Plattsburgh.

William Beaumont took a leave in 1821 and married Deborah "Debby" Green Platt in Plattsburgh before returning to his post.

William Beaumont's father, Israel Green, was a third cousin of General Nathanael Greene.

William Beaumont treated his wound, but expected St Martin to die from his injuries.

William Beaumont recognized that he had in St Martin an unusual opportunity to observe digestive processes.

William Beaumont began to perform experiments on digestion using St Martin's stomach.

Every few hours, William Beaumont would remove the food and observe how well it had been digested.

William Beaumont extracted a sample of gastric acid from St Martin's stomach for analysis.

William Beaumont used samples of stomach acid taken out of St Martin to "digest" bits of food in cups.

In early 1831, William Beaumont conducted another set of experiments on St Martin's stomach, ranging from the simple observation of normal digestion to the effects that temperature, exercise, and even emotions have on the digestive process.

William Beaumont published the account of his experiments in 1838 as Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice, and the Physiology of Digestion.

William Beaumont died in 1853 in St Louis, Missouri as a result of slipping on ice-covered steps.

William Beaumont's papers are held at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine Library, and copies are held at the National Library of Medicine.