Page "Fort Mackinac" Paragraph 14

On 6 June 1822, a fur trader named Alexis Saint Martin waited to trade in his furs when a gun accidentally discharged just inches from him, blowing a hole in his abdomen.

The post surgeon, Doctor William Beaumont, attended to the man.

Doctor Beaumont cared for the presumedly doomed Saint Martin the best he could.

To his surprise, the man apparently made a recovery.

Doctor Beaumont took the man into his home and cared for him for several years.

Saint Martin then healed despite a hole connecting his stomach to the outside world.

Beaumont seized the opportunity and began observing and conducting experiments on the man.

Through these experiments, Beaumont ably described digestion in detail and unlocked its mysteries.

Doctor Beaumont wrote a book about his experiments and later became known as " The Father of Gastric Physiology.