In 1853, an obscure author named Sydney Whiting (d. 1875) published Memoirs of a Stomach, a short book which was to prove immensely popular throughout the rest of the century. It ran into various editions during the following thirty years and was even translated into French in 1888. On the surface, this might appear to be an unusual choice of reading material for such an extensive audience, given that the main protagonist is a remarkably literate stomach, named Mr Stomach, who describes the misery of his long life to the reader in painstakingly minute detail. The organ begins by detailing how his ancestry dates back to the invasion of the Saxons when the great Sir Hugh Stomach was created baron due to the huge quantities of beef that he was able to digest. Sadly, it is explained that Mr Stomach's mother died soon after giving birth to him, ‘joining the stomachs of another sphere’. The consequence of this was the commencement of a life of poor health, prompted by the organ's owner being breast-fed by a London woman whose milk was contaminated due to her over-indulgence in liquor and porter.

Throughout his youth, Mr Stomach complains of being forced to digest adulterated flour, sweetmeats, oysters and tobacco smoke, foodstuffs not wellsuited to his delicate constitution. At college, the organ's master consumes long breakfasts lasting until noon, throughout which masses of food from around the world would be poured into his cavity.