“Here is what William Beaumont had to say about saliva: “Its legitimate and only use, in my opinion, is to lubricate the food to facilitate the passage of the bolus through the [esophagus].” Beaumont was right about some things, but… — Mary Roach Copy Share Image
![“Here is what William Beaumont had to say about saliva: “Its legitimate and only use, in my opinion, is to lubricate the food to facilitate the passage of the bolus through the [esophagus].” Beaumont was right about some things, but he was dead wrong about spit.” quote by Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/58f/mary-roach-635_quote_here-is-what-william-beaumont-had-to-say_1178078.jpg)