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ON THE EFFECTS OF WOUNDS ON THE HUMAN 

 SUBJECT INFLICTED BY THE SPURS OF THE 

 PLATYPUS — ( Ornithorhynclius anatinus). 



Bt the Eev. W. W. Spicek, M.A., F.E.M.S. 



[Bead ISth November, 1876]. 



I wish to lay before the Royal Society, an account of an 

 accident which recently occurred to a friend of mine while 

 handling a Platypus, as there are circumstances connected 

 with it, which are rather singular in their nature, and I 

 think worthy of your attention. The friend I allude to 

 is Mr. Augustas Simson, a member of this Society, who is now 

 residing in Gould's Country. 



About three weeks ago, he and Mr. Stephens, the School 

 Inspector, were walking by the side of a lagoon, when their 

 attention was attracted by a Platypus, which had swum across 

 from the other side, and was on the point of making its way 

 under the bank. Mr. Simson, an active, energetic man, at 

 once rushed down the bank, and secured the animal. Now, 

 I fancy, this fact alone is worthy of record ; for of all the 

 shy wary animals in existence, Platypus is among the shiest 

 and most wary. Under ordinary circumstances, it is no easy 

 matter to catch even a passing sight of one ; but here the 

 creature was caught in open daylight, without any prepara- 

 tion, as easily in fact as a rat or a mouse might be in a like 

 case. It made no great struggling ; was deposited in a sack, 

 and was carried to the hotel at George's Bay. Here, by some 

 mishap, he escaped, and it was in the effort to re-capture the 

 animal that Mr. Simson met with his accident. I will here 

 quote Mr. Stephens' words, who was present : — 



" Aiter an exciting chase. Platypus was re-captured ; but 

 this time he revenged himself by giving my friend a severe 

 wound on the hand, one spur slightly tearing the palm, and 

 the other the back of the hand, making a deep puncture 

 between the knuckles of (I think) the first and second fingers. 

 The pain from this was intense, and almost paralysing. But 

 for the administration of small doses of brandy, he would have 

 fe,inted on the spot. As it was, it was half-an-hour befure he 

 could stand without support. By that time the arm was 

 swollen to the shoulder, and quite useless, and the pain in 

 the hand very severe. No ammonia was to be had ; no medical 

 assistance was available; and the only treatment that could 

 be adopted, was to keep the whole arm for a night and day in 

 wet bandages, which seemed to alleviate the pain a little, and 

 to reduce the inflammation. 



"A week later, I was informed by letter, that the swelling 

 had subsided, the hand being still very tender, with a sensa- 



