In the early 1800s, Alexis St. Martin was a trapper with the American Fur Company in Michigan. After suffering an accidental gunshot wound to his side at the age of eighteen, he developed a unique condition where an open passage formed in his stomach. This unusual injury allowed a direct insight into the workings of his digestive system, which had been largely unstudied at the time.

William Beaumont, the surgeon who treated St. Martin, saw the opportunity to observe the human stomach's functions through this opening. St. Martin’s condition became invaluable for research, leading to significant discoveries about the digestive process. His case offered a rare glimpse into the previously mysterious gastric workings, as documented in Mary Roach's book "Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal."