A hole in stomach that allowed doctors to learn the whole digestion!
The world of medicine is full of thrilling and interesting stories. You are lucky if you have at least one friend who shares such interesting facts full of possibilities and unexceptional side of life with you.
In the era when microscopes, X rays and other technology didn’t exist, it was rare cases ,unexpected incidences and mind blowing experiences that taught the physicians and scientist the ABC of human body and the physiology behind it.
An extreme rare case of a patent hole on the stomach of one patient allowed seeing the doctors literally everything going inside. This person gifted the actual view of digestion to the doctors around him and made a huge contribution in the medical science.
The story began in 1822 when a soldier with a shotgun wound left with a fistula (hole) in his left side of chest .The surgery to close that tunnel was impossible because of the inability to bear more by the weak solider. Everybody believed the poor person will succumb to the wound soon. But destiny was waiting for a miracle from him. Dr. William Beaumont his care in charge, consistently kept the wound sanitized and surprisingly the wound remained open but uninfected.
Sitting with the person with hole named St.Martin Dr. Beaumont couldn’t resist peeping in the whole and finding nothing but the opportunity. Doctor used that hole to observe and examine what exactly going inside of the stomach. Later when the treatment period was over Dr. Beaumont out of humanity and wish to continue with his experiments to understand the digestion expressed will to keep St.Martin as his assistance in little things. They both lived together for almost decade.
For his experiments, Beaumont closely monitored all of the things St. Martin ate every day, and took samples of stomach acid out of the fistula, sending it off to be analysed by chemists. During this time surprisingly St. Martin’s body had accommodated the fistula(hole) very well.
Two years into this process, Beaumont made his first publication in the Philadelphia Medical Recorder – in a report entitled, A Case of Wounded Stomach.
This Live in patient turned the tables in medicine field. Dr.Beaumont finally came with the theory of Hydrochloric acid and the stomach muscles responsible for churning and digestion of food.
This laid a milestone in the physiology of digestion. This case also stated the importance of clinical studies. A new era in medical research named clinical research and data observation emerged later.
St.Martin no matter lived a normal life till the age of 83 yr. with the hole he must had proud of!
Amazing discovery which helps mankind immensely….keep posting Rupali.
I like your writeups …
Amazing post. Dr.Rupali thanks a lot.
Sri Radhe