FOOT ON THE STINGING PROPERTIES OF THE PHYSALIA. 159 



Campylopus Schwarzi, Schimper (Schwarz's Moss), was also observed 

 in considerable abundance on Muckish Mountain, county of Donegal, 

 by me last September. It had not been found previously in the North 

 of Ireland. 



After which was read the following paper — 



On the Stinging Properties of the Physalia, or Portuguese Man- 

 of-War. By Arthur Wynne Foot, M.D. 



In the summer of 1864 1 had an opportunity of observing the urticating 

 powers of the Physalia, or Portuguese Man- of- War, under the follow- 

 ing circumstances : — From on board a large schooner yacht, which was 

 drifting with the tide in a dead calm, about fifteen miles west of Cape 

 Ortegal, a Physalia was observed at a little distance, with its bladder, 

 pneumatocyst, fully distended, and shining like an immense opal ; the 

 bladder was surmounted by a beautiful purple corrugated crest, and 

 one end of it was shaped like the beak of a bird. With the view of 

 capturing it for examination, the dingy was lowered, with two hands in 

 it, and sent in pursuit. As the yacht was drifting faster than the Phy- 

 salia, the latter was some^distance astern by the time the boat had been 

 lowered and pulled up to it ; the animal did not collapse on the ap- 

 proach of the boat ; it was "seized, and hastily deposited in the bottom 

 of the boat. As the dingy was pulling up to overtake the yacht, I ob- 

 served the man who had caught the animal, and who was one of the 

 most able of the crew, to be alternately wringing his hands and wash- 

 ing them over the side of the boat : when they got on board he went 

 forward at once, not waiting to lift his prize out of the dingy. Going- 

 forward to the fore-part of the vessel to see what had happened, I found 

 him lying on the deck, writhing with pain, and with tears in his eyes ; 

 the right hand was already swollen, and the back of the hand and 

 wrist red, as if taken out of scalding water ; both hands had still a 

 great deal of the mucus, with which the Physalia covers those who 

 handle it, adherent to them ; the right one was the most hurt, being 

 the one which had most come in contact with the animal j the hands 

 were washed with hartshorn and fresh water to remove the mucus, and 

 wrapt up in rags steeped in laudanum and water, while a liberal allow- 

 ance of brandy was served out as an internal remedy. When asked 

 what the pain in his hands was like, he said they were " burning as if 

 in a fire." In fifteen minutes after he came on board pain was shooting 

 up along the arms into each armpit, and he had a lightness, " like an 

 ache," across his chest. He could not keep the cloths on his arms, pre- 

 ferring to dip the hands in a bucket of seawater to anything else. In less 

 than half an hour after he had been stung, a papular rash came out on 

 the front of his right wrist and forearm, extending nearly to the 

 elbow, of a pinkish colour, slightly elevated. A thermometer placed 

 at this time between the swollen fingers of the right hand stood at 93°, 

 while one in a similar position, in the less injured hand, marked 89°; 

 the^comparative lowness was due to the hand being just taken out of 



