# Can This Really Kill Someone?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 1, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868 "2003-06-01T02:19:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868/1 "2003-06-01T02:19:58Z")

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one of my friends said that pouring warm oil (i don’t know if vegetable oil would work, or if it’s a specific kind) in someone’s ear will kill them. is he just crazy? if you said he was, i wouldn’t be surprised.

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**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868/2 "2003-06-01T04:15:46Z")

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IANAD, but your friend is crazy. I can’t think of ANY way this could hurt someone, not to mention the fact that warm vegetable oil in the ear is a home remedy for earaches.

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**Author:** ![cstamets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/958977/32.png) [@cstamets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cstamets)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868/3 "2003-06-01T04:18:23Z")

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I have vague recollections of warm oil being put into my ears to treat earaches when I was a kid. Maybe I’m just the one who’s crazy.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868/4 "2003-06-01T04:22:43Z")

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Allow me to direct further comment to [this other thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187746), since this one is a duplicate.

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**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-really-kill-someone/178868/5 "2003-06-01T04:41:31Z")

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Duplicate of [Can This Really Kill Someone?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=187746). I’ll close this one.

**DrMatrix** - GQ Moderator