Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1856-05-31
ST. MARTIN--THE woNDERoFTHE
WORLD.
IFrom ihe Amereau PhrcnologicaI Journal,l

IFron the American Psychological Journal.l
All medical men, and many others, will rec
ollect DR.. Beaumont's account of Alexis St.
Martin, who had his side shot away, and an
opening made in his stomach by means which
the process Of digestion could be noted.
This man. ST. Marin, is now ia our city in
eycsllent health We have seen ,he man and
the orifce in his stomsch, and present 10 our
readers an excellent likeness Of him, from
dagnerreolype. by Farrand, Of this city, and the
first that was ever taken Of him.
A brief sketch Of the man will interest all our
readers. He is Canadian, Of French descent
and was born some twenty-five miles from Mont
real. On the 9Th Of June, 1929, when about
IS years Of age, he was engaged in the service
of the American Fur Company, and was acci-
dentally wounded by the discharge ola musket
loaded with duck shot. The charge tore of
the muscles, carrying away halfofthe sixth rib
decorating the lef lobe Of the lungs as well as
tie diaphragm, and periorating the stomach. -
A portion of the lung, as large as a turkeys
egg, laceraied aud burnt, and Just below this a
portion Of the stomach, OF equal size, proiruded
from the wound. The food al the same time pass
ing from the orfce thus made in the stomach
We give few extracts from ''Dr Beaumont's 5
Physiology and Experiments" This work,
embracing the experiments on ST. Martin, is
the foundation Of nearly all the positive knowl-
edge now possessed by the world on the subjec,
OF digestion.
''on the ffih day practical sloughing Of the
integumenis aud muscles took place. Some Of
the prolruded portions of The lung, and lacerat-
ed parts of The stomach, also slouehed, and leh
perfora,ion into the stomach, plainly TO be
seen, large enough to admit the whole length
Of my fore6nger into lis cavity; and also
passage into the chest, half as large as my fist,
exposing to view part Of The lung, and per-
hitting the free escape Of ait and bloody mucns
at every respiration"
"a violent fever continued for zen days, run
ming into atyphoidiype, and the wound became
very fetd." agi
"0D the eleventh day more extensive slough
ing took place, the febrle symptoms subsidized,
and The whole surface Of the wound assumed a
healthy and granulaiing appearance"
''For seventeen days all that entered his stom-
ach by the esophagus soon passed out through
the wound and The only way to sustain him
was by means ofnntriIiops injections, until com
presses and adhesive straps could be applied so
as to retain his food.n
''N) sickness nor unusual irritation Of the
slomaeh, moi even The slightest nausea, was
manifest during the whole time; and after the
fourth week the appetite became good, dges-
tion regular, the alyine excavations natural, and
all the functions Of the system perfect and
healthy"
''By the adhesion flhe sides of,he protrud-
ed portions Of the stomach to the pleura costa
lis and the external wound, free exit was Of
forded to the contents Of tina, organ, and eifu-
sion into the abdominal cavity was thereby pre-
vented"
"Wheneyer the wound was dressed, the con-
tents Of the stomach would flow out 10 propor-
ton to the quantity recently taken. 1.-THE stom-
ach happened to be empty or nearly so, partial
inverion would take place, unless prevented by
the application of the finger"
"The circumference Of the external wound
was At last twelve inches, and the ori6co in tbs