John Handyside (Jack) Barnes MBE (1922–1985) was a physician and

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), derived ...

ologist in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia. Born in Charleville he is known for his research on the

box jellyfish Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including ' ...

. In 1961, Barnes confirmed the cause of the

Irukandji syndrome Irukandji syndrome is a condition that results from envenomation by certain box jellyfish. In rare instances the sting may result in cardiac arrest and death. The most common jellyfish involved is the '' Carukia barnesi'', a species of Irukand ...

was a sting from a small

: the

Irukandji jellyfish The Irukandji jellyfish ( ) are any of several similar, extremely venomous species of rare box jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre (1 cm3 or 0.061 in3), they are both one of the smallest and one of the ...

, which can fire venom-filled stingers out of its body and into passing victims. To prove that the jellyfish was the cause of the syndrome, he captured one and deliberately stung himself, his 9-year-old son and a local lifeguard, then observed the resulting symptoms. Other cubozoans possibly can cause Irukandji syndrome; those positively identified include''

Carukia barnesi ''Carukia barnesi'' is an extremely venomous box jellyfish found near Australia. Stings can result in Irukandji syndrome, and this species is commonly known as Irukandji jellyfish, although this name does not distinguish it from other Irukandji je ...

'', Alatina mordens, ''

Alatina alata ''Alatina alata'' (Reynaud, 1830), often called a sea wasp, is a species of box jellyfish found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and in the Caribbean and Arabian Sea. Ecology ''Alatina alata'' is mostly observed in shallow near shore ...

'', ''

Malo maxima ''Malo maxima'' is a small, and extremely dangerous Irukandji jellyfish that is known to cause Irukandji syndrome. It is one of the four species of '' Malo'', along with ''Malo bella'', '' Malo filipina'', and '' Malo kingi''. The ''Malo maxima'' ...

'', ''

Malo kingi ''Malo kingi'' or the common kingslayer is a species of Irukandji jellyfish. It was first described to science in 2007, and is one of four species in the genus ''Malo''.Gershwin, L. (2007)''Malo kingi'': A new species of Irukandji jellyfish (Cnida ...

'', ''Carybdea xaymacana'', ''

Keesingia gigas ''Keesingia gigas'', the "giant" (Greek ''gigas'') ''Keesingia'', is one of two new species of Irukandji jellyfish, the only one of the genus ''Keesingia'' in the Alatinidae, Alatinid family. Found off the north-west coast of Western Australia, ...

'', an as-yet unnamed "fire jelly", and another unnamed species. He determined that the use of methylated spririts applied to the area of an Irukandji sting would prevent any tentacles remaining on the skin from inflicting further stings, whereas rubbing to remove the tentacles would cause further stings with the risk of an even more severe reaction. However,

vinegar Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...

is now the preferred first-response method of treating such stings and many at-risk beaches have a bottle of vinegar available for this purpose. He also established that the Irukandji toxin would not discharge on a synthetic surface and so wore

pantyhose Pantyhose, sometimes also called sheer (textile), sheer tights, are close-fitting legwear covering the wearer's body from the waist to the toes. Pantyhose first appeared on store shelves in 1959 for the advertisement of new design panties (All ...

when collecting specimens, a practice now adopted by lifesavers at risk of jellyfish stings.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Jack Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Australian scientists 1922 births 1985 deaths People educated at Brisbane Grammar School University of Queensland alumni People from Charleville, Queensland