- Physician,
born in Lebanon, Connecticut, USA. He learned medicine as an apprentice
to a doctor in Vermont, then became an army surgeon (1812--15, 1820--40).
In 1822 he treated Alexis St. Martin, a Canadian victim of a gunshot
wound to the stomach; because the wound never completely closed up,
he was able to remove and observe gastric juices and the action of
the digestive system over a period of years. He published his classic
Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juices and the Biology
of Digestion in 1833, detailing 238 experiments indicating the presence
of what are now known to be enzymes, such as pepsin and hydrochloric
acid. His book, which showed for the first time that the stomach is
a digestive organ and not a reservoir or grinding organ, marks the
start of modern study of the digestive system. After leaving the military,
he settled into private practice in St. Louis.
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