Definition of william beaumont in English English dictionary
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