Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal

In Gulp, scientific curiosity about human digestion emerges as a driving force that propels both legitimate medical advancement and questionable experimental practices. Through her examination of historical figures like William Beaumont and Horace Fletcher, Roach demonstrates that scientific curiosity about digestive processes often operates beyond the boundaries of conventional ethics and social norms. The author reveals how this curiosity manifests in three distinct ways: through obsessive dedication that prioritizes research over human dignity, through the development of extreme theories that challenge accepted nutritional wisdom, and through the establishment of digestive science as a legitimate field despite its unconventional methods.

William Beaumont’s relationship with Alexis St. Martin exemplifies how scientific curiosity can transform into a consuming obsession that disregards human dignity and autonomy. Beaumont’s dedication to studying gastric fluids through St. Martin’s stomach wound consumed decades of his life and substantial personal finances. The power dynamic between the educated surgeon and the illiterate young man suggests Beaumont exploited existing social hierarchies. Roach documents how Beaumont referred to St. Martin using dehumanizing language, calling him “the boy” well into his thirties and describing his family as “live stock” (88), illustrating how scientific fascination can override basic empathy. This obsessive pursuit of knowledge, while contributing to medical understanding, raises fundamental questions about the ethical boundaries of scientific inquiry and the responsibility researchers bear toward their subjects.