This Month in St. Louis History

First "Stomach Doctor" has local roots

Dr. William Beaumont

Dr. William Beaumont is credited with being the "father of gastric physiology." His early research was aided by a patient with a gunshot wound that never healed.

Dr. Beaumont practiced medicine in St. Louis, where he died April 25, 1853, after he suffered fatal injuries in a fall on an icy sidewalk. He is buried in the Bellfontaine Cemetery, which is the burial site of many famous people.

Dr. Beaumont's early medical experience was as a military doctor in the War of 1812. But, his medical career took an unexpected turn when he was called to treat Alexis St. Martin at Mackinac Island in Michigan.

Other April anniversaries in St. Louis history included:

 

Dr. William Beaumont's amazing career

Alexis St. Martin was a French-Canadian who made his living collecting fur pelts from Indians and delivering them to fur trading companies. On June 6, 1822, he was accidentally wounded by a musket ball that hit him in his upper abdomen.

Dr. Beaumont was called in to treat St. Martin. The wound affected part of St. Alexis' lung, two ribs and his stomach. Although the man lived, he suffered from a permanently open wound called an "open gastric fistula."

The hole in the stomach never closed. St. Alexis had to wear a compress and bandage to keep food from leaking out after he ate.

Three years later, Dr. Beaumont began gastric experiments on St. Alexis. Because of the injury, St. Alexis couldn't return to his previous fur-trading job. Dr. Beaumont hired him as a live-in handyman.

St. Alexis then became the focus of Beaumont's gastric experiments. The doctor was able to put bits of food directly into St. Alexis' stomach and check the digestive process.

Dr. Beaumont would tie a silk string on bits of food and push them into St. Alexis' stomach. He pulled out the food at one-, two-, three- and five-hour intervals to check the rate of digestion.

Dr. Beaumont did experiments on St. Alexis at three different periods. During that time, St. Alexis married and had a family.

The doctor used observations of the gastric experiments in a book, "Experiments and Observations on the Gastric Juice and the Physiology of Digestion."

Dr. Beaumont moved to St. Louis in 1834 when he took his last military post at Jefferson Barracks. While here, Beaumont became friends with Robert E. Lee. Lee was then a lieutenant in the U.S. Army, working to improve the St. Louis harbor.

Of course, Lee later was the commander of the Confederate forces in the Civil War.

In 1839, the Army wanted to send Beaumont to Florida but he decided to go into private practice in St. Louis. He lived here until his fatal fall in 1853.

For a complete history of Dr. Beaumont, visit www.james.com/beaumont/dr_life.htm.

 

Ford Motor's history in St. Louis

The start of manufacturing of Ford automobiles in St. Louis was tied to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Henry Ford got to know St. Louis during the summer of 1904.

He was here to watch the Ford company's exhibit in the Manufacturers' Hall at the Fair.

The car company then opened a sale branch in St. Louis in 1905.

When Midwest car sales took off, Ford found that manufacturing the cars in Detroit and shipping them to St. Louis wasn't profitable.

Therefore, he established an assembly plant here in 1914. The first Model T Fords came off the assembly line in April of that year. That first assembly plant building is still standing at the corner of Forest Park Parkway and Sarah.

In March, 1948, the company moved its production to the current plant in what is now Hazelwood, Mo. The company is still operating at that location, over 90 years since first opening a plant in St. Louis.

 

Joe Louis boxed in St. Louis

Joe Louis

Joe Louis was one of the most famous heavyweight boxing champions in U.S. history. Most of his fame came from his pro career.

But, Louis also was an outstanding amateur fighter. And St. Louis was the site of his last amateur bout on April 13, 1934. His final amateur record was 50-4, with 41 knockouts.

Joe Louis Barrow was the seventh child of Monroe and Lily Barrow. Joe was born in a cotton field cabin in Lexington, Ala. Later, his mother married Pat Brooks and the family moved to Detroit.

For a wide range of stories about Joe Louis as a boxer and as an American who touched the world in many ways, visit www.ptamerica.com/louis.com. That will link you to a host of websites and written sources about a black man who was truly an American icon.

 

The Muny starts in April, 1917

The construction of The Muny Theatre in Forest Park began on April 16, 1917. It was completed in 49 days.

The first opera, "Aida," was performed June 5, 1917. The performances were a highlight of the 13th annual convention of the Advertising Clubs of the World.

Although attendance was strong, after the first three weeks of the inaugural season, the theater was $60,000 in the red. But, a community-based ticket drive saved the day.

Then Mayor Kiel spearheaded the fund drive by selling blocks of tickets to fellow businessmen. Many other tickets were sold door-to-door in neighborhoods.

For more about the Muny, visit www.muny.com.