born Nov. 21, 1785, Lebanon, Conn., U.S.
died April 25, 1853, St. Louis, Mo.
U.S. surgeon.
He served many years as an army surgeon. When treating a trapper whose abdomen had been perforated by a shotgun blast, Beaumont collected gastric juice for analysis and showed that it contained hydrochloric acid, which supported his belief that digestion was a chemical process. He also reported on the effects of different foods on the stomach and established alcohol as a cause of gastritis.