28 PATHFINDERS OF PHYSIOLOGY 



quired to digest each, and at one time used a tent of raw beef instead of lint 

 to stop the orifice, and found that in less than five hours it was completely 

 digested off as smooth ai)d as even as if it had been cut with a knife." 



Then his resolve to make use of the case as a means of study- 

 ing gastric digestion takes shape as follows: 

 P "This case affords an excellent opportunity for experimenting on the gastric 



\ fluid and process of digestion. It would give no pain nor cause the least un- 

 p \ easiness to extract a gill of fluid every two or three days for it frequently flows 

 I out spontaneously in considerable quantities. Various kinds of digestible sub- 

 / stances might be introduced into the stomach and then easily examined during 

 / the whole process of digestion. I may, therefore, be able hereafter to give some 

 I interesting experiments on these subjects." 



Recognition of Michigan Medical Society: The Medical Society 

 of the territory of Michigan was the first body to recognize the work 

 of William Beaumont. The following letter dated from Detroit an- 

 nounced his election as an honorary member of the Michigan Territor- 

 ial Medical Society. 



"Dr. William Beaumont, United States Army, Michilimackinac. 



Detroit, March 3, 1825. 



"Sir: — It is with much pleasure that I transmit to you as an extract from 

 the minutes of the medical society of this territory at a meeting held at the home 

 ©£ Capt. Woodworth in the City of Detroit on Monday, 7th ultimo; Dr. William 

 Beaumont, of the United States Army, duly proposed by Dr. Pitcher and unani- 

 mously elected by ballot an honorary member of this society.' 



"Whereupon it was ordered that the secretary be directed to inform Dr. 

 Beaumont of his election as aforesaid. 

 "I remain, sir, with much respect, 



*'Your most obedient servant, 



"JOHN S. WHITING, 

 "Secretary of the Medical Society of the Territory of Michigan." 



The first experiments were carried on at Mackinac and were 

 continued at Fort Niagara, to which place Beaumont was removed. 

 While on a visit to Burlington, Vt., as one of his master's household, 

 A Alexis, whose interest in science had long ago reached the vanishing 

 J point, ran away and was lost to his benefactor for some time. This 

 ungrateful act on the part of the French-Canadian proved a sore dis- 

 appointment to our ''Backwoods physiologist." His experiments up 

 to this time were to estimate the length of time required for the 

 digestion of certain kinds of food, which were suspended in the stom- 

 ach by means of silk threads and withdrawn from time to time to note 

 5 the changes in the substances. He found that food would digest more 

 I quickly in the stomach than when mixed with gastric juice in vitro. 

 Four years after St. Martin's unceremonious departure, Beau- 

 mont got in communication with him. In the meantime Alexis had 

 married and became the father of two children. The doctor took 

 him, his wife and two children into his own home, where Alexis did 

 duty as a common servant when not employed for purposes of experi- 

 C mentation. Beaumont's laboratory equipment consisted of a thermo- 

 (^ meter, a few open mouthed vials and a sand bag. His observations 



