Jack Barnes
John (Jack) Handyside Barnes (1922-1985) was an Australian medical practitioner and toxinologist.
1964 the first specimens of the small stinger Carukia barnesi
1967 – Ronald V. Southcott declared Carukia barnesi the cause of the “Irukandji syndrome” – (named after the Irukandji tribe of the Aboriginal people)
Biography
- Born on April 2, 1922 Charleville, Australia
- 1940-1946 Medical Degree, University of Queensland
- 1941-1943 Served in the Australian Imperial Force, East Timor
- 1947-1953 Medical superintendent of Thursday Island Hospital
- 1953 – Private Practice, Cairns, Queensland
- 1961 – Collected the unique specimen of ‘Carukia barnesi’
- 1970 – MBE, Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
- Died on August 11, 1985 Cairns, Australia
Medical Eponyms
Carukia barnesi and the Irukandji Syndrome
In 1961, Jack Barnes, his nine year-old son, and a local surf lifesaver were rushed to Cairns Base Hospital after developing Irukandji syndrome. Thus the riddle of what caused Irukandji Syndrome was solved; years of detective work had reached its climax in a dramatic and decisive episode of self-experimentation.
Major Publications
- Barnes JH. Cause and Effect in Irukandji Stingings. Med J Aust. 1964 Jun 13;1:897-904. [Irukandji Syndrome]
- Barnes JH. Siphonophores, Part 1 of a Series. The North Queensland Naturalist 1962;30:131
- Barnes JH. Siphonophores, Part 2 of a series. The North Queensland Naturalist 1964;32:135.
- Barnes JH. The Crown of Thorns Starfish as a Destroyer of Coral. Aust. Natural History. 1966
- Barnes JH. Endean R. A dangerous starfish. Acanthaster planci (Linne). Med J Aust. 1964;1: 592
References
Biography
- Pearn J, Fenner P. The Jellyfish hunter–Jack Barnes: a pioneer medical toxinologist in Australia. Toxicon. 2006 Dec 1;48(7):762-7.
- Baker J. Barnes, John Handyside (Jack) (1922–1985). Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 2007;17:64-65
- Cluff R. How two Cairns men helped solve the marine killer mystery. Tropic Now. 19 May 2022
Eponymous terms
- Cato N. Pantyhose for the lifesavers. The Canberra Times. 47, (13,317). 28 December 1972
- Roberts J, Kinsey B. ‘Who Knew Jack Barnes: a Short Biography of Dr John Handyside Barnes, Pioneer Medical Toxinologist’. In: Pioneer Medicine in Australia (Pearn J), Amphion Press, Brisbane, 1988: 251-268, 309
- Barnes, John Handyside (Jack) (1922-1985). Encyclopedia of Australian Science
- Nickson C. Jack Barnes and the Irukandji Enigma. LITFL
Eponym
the person behind the name
Dr Conor O'Reilly, MB BCh BAO BComm, University College Dublin / Dublin City University, Ireland. In Australia working in Emergency Medicine with an interest in Sports medicine
