How Human digestion is recognized accidentally (MUST READ STORY)

This is a true story which is happened in 19th Century, which made revolution in the history of Digestive Research in Biology.

Now a days science is very well developed, we can see every thing in our hand, all we want is a good internet connection.

But, in the early 19th Century, we are not developed and today which is a very small thing to find was a revolution in those days.

Coming to the point. Now, we are going to knowing the story behind the first research done on Human digestion system. That was in 1822 by Dr. William Beaumont from United States.

Photo of Dr. William Beaumont

Born : 21-11-1785 to Death : 25-04-1853

     Dr. William Beaumont was US Citizen lived 67 years. He is very well known for his Research in Digestion. He worked as Asst. Surgeon in US Army from 1812 to 1815 served Soldiers and his Country. After the Battle of Plattsburgh, he left Army and started private practice and continued till 1820. In 1820 again Dr. William Beaumont came to Army to serve his nation.

     After that he took leave for some time and married a woman while he was working at Fort Mackinac(Location). while he was working in Army he met a soldier who is working in a company American Fur Company on Mackinac Islands. That is Mr. Alexis St. Martin. He is well known as the best patient of Dr. William Beaumont.

Coming to the story, one day Soldier Alexis St. Martin accidentally shot by gun in the stomach, which injured his ribs and stomach. That case was treated by Dr. William Beaumont, he expected St. Martin to die with this wound. But, Martin survived with a hole never fully healed just like the figure shown below.

     After that shot Martin stopped work at AFC(American Fur Company) and he was hired as a handy man by Dr. Beaumont. Dr. Beaumont though that as a unusual opportunity to observe the Human Digestion process. He did many experiments on St. Martin in his Digestion System. the hole was like a window to his stomach and Dr. Beaumont is able to see what is happening inside Martin's stomach.

Experiment :- Dr. Beaumont did many experiments on Martin one of them is - Dr. Beaumont used to tie food to thread and inserted directly into Martin's stomach and observed how food is digested in the stomach.

Observation :- Dr. Beaumont observed a acid in the stomach which is called as Digestive Juice or Gastric Acid. by inserting small pipe Dr. got that juice out the Martin's stomach and placed that juice in a glass and provided the temperature about 30 degree C approximate to the temperature in our stomach, he observed a revolutionary procedure that, he put small fishes into Martin's stomach and that glass jar also. but there is time variation that is. Fishes digested in the stomach took 2 hours and fishes digested in the glass took 4 hours it is exactly double the time in our stomach. This made total science to look into Digestive System Research into another level. Dr. also observed that food took much time to digest in Martin's stomach when he is sad.

     St. Martin ran away to Canada from Dr. Beaumont, but he didn't leaved Martin and continued his experiments. The important things which are observed by Dr. Beaumont are :

• Food Digestion is a Chemical Procedure and not a Mechanical Procedure.
• Things which effect Digestion are Temperature, Exercise & Emotions, imbalance of emotions also shows impact on food digestion.

     By this experiments Dr. Beaumont became the Father of Research on Digestive System and many identities he got.

     Big institutions on Dr.William Beaumont name and his paper are placed in Washington University Coriginal Papers and their copies at National Library of Medicine.

     On Beaumont's name there are number of schools, colleges, Medical Colleges and there is also a Army Medical Centre.

     A novel was published on this story named "The Tragic Obsession of Dr. William Beaumont".

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