Mrs. Eddy Mentioned Them January 22, 1955 Issue

William Beaumont, 1785-1853

[Mentioned in Science and Health, p. 175]

while not attending college or medical school, William Beaumont became a famous physician, pioneering in experimental physiology.

His desire to learn new things led Beaumont to leave his parents' farm in Connecticut and seek employment as a village schoolmaster. During his spare time he studied medical books to prepare himself for the next step— an apprenticeship in medicine. The notes he made of his observations and his detailed records of unusual cases and their treatments show his diligence and inquiring thought. He was granted a license to practice medicine and gained his first experience as a licensed physician in the War of 1812.

Later at Fort Mackinac, a nineteen-year-old French Canadian trapper, who had been seriously injured, was placed under his care. During the period of treatment, Beaumont carried on some experiments on the patient's digestion. Beaumont's observation that "psychic and nervous influences are apt to affect gastric secretion and digestion" still influences medical thought today.

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