It is more interesting to see that most of the scientific
inventions are opportunistic and invented accidentally. Although
the situation provides opportunity to one, it’s the individual’s capability to make use of the prevailing situation to come up with inventions for the use of mankind and to the individuals career uplift.
Dr. William Beaumont is one such person made use of one such unusual situation for the benefit of mankind. He has joined the US army as a physician and has seen the action during the war of 1812. He has accepted an assignment during the year 1820 at Fort Mackinac, Michigan. The experiments and
observations he has done in that place made him a world-renowned scientist in medicine.
During the year 1822, a brawny, 18-year-old French Canadian fur trapper namely Alexis St. Martin was shot with a gun in a close range. This incident has resulted in the damage of the abdominal cavity and chest exposing the parts of his stomach, intestine and ribs. Beaumont arrived and dressed the wounds eventually. However, he lost his hops on his patient and waited till he dies. But, to his surprise, the patient was able to survive despite the mortal damage caused by the gunshot. The patient lived up to the age of 83 and had many children.
In the subsequent years, the patient served as a specimen to observe the intestinal activities of human being because the biggest wound healed, but the opening remained as it is without closing. This opening in turn opened many secrets of the
digestive system later. Dr. Beaumont had a chance to observe the physiological processes that are taking place in the alimentary canal of human being and was able to measure the body temperatures. Later, the observations that Dr. Beaumont made revolutionized the medical understanding of physiology of the digestive system.
One of the remarkable inventions was that the hydrochloric acid found inside the stomach and its digestive, and antibacterial effects. In the year 1833, Dr. Beaumont has published his works in the name of ‘ Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion ’. This research book was based on the observations he made on the alimentary canal of St. Martin. Dr. Beaumont has passed away in the year 1853. US army paid its ultimate respect to Dr. Beaumont by constructing a hospital on his name. The hospital was constructed on June 26, 1920 in Texas.