# Dead or nearly dead tropes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797 "2025-02-25T23:14:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/461 "2026-01-24T18:30:40Z")
> [@solost](#): > > ETA: I was feeling a bit of deja vu after I posted that- so I checked and, sure enough, I ninja’d myself. Maybe I need to take one of those cognitive tests….😖 I was about to dig up that TV Tropes link again… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/462 "2026-01-24T18:38:48Z")
I wonder if there is a “real life” example of the trope on the page for the chains of simultaneous organ donations with a lot of people who are incompatible with the person they are trying to help, but are compatible with person B, who is incompatible with their loved one but is compatible with person C, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/463 "2026-01-24T20:45:05Z")
In practice it sounds like a hell of a lot of surgery to help one person. I don’t see carrying such a chain beyond maybe one step removed from a one-on-one donation. Less critically, I’ve heard of debt brokers who help businesses who have uncollectable accounts receivable of their own negotiate chains of mutually agreed debt forgiveness. In such cases at least getting large debts off the books can help businesses refinance, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/464 "2026-01-24T21:59:01Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > In practice it sounds like a hell of a lot of surgery to help one person. I don’t see carrying such a chain beyond maybe one step removed from a one-on-one donation. One recent case involved 10 people: > **[Ohio State performs a record 20-person, single institution living kidney...](https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/ohio-state-20-person-living-kidney-donor-transplant-chain)** > > The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Comprehensive Transplant Center set a new institution transplant record, performing a synchronized chain of 20 surgeries to transform the lives of ten people in need of a kidney transplant. > The single institution living kidney donor transplant chain took place over two days. Five donor and five recipient surgeries were performed on each day. Surgeons transplanted healthy kidneys from 10 different donors into 10 recipients who could have waited years for a transplant. The record was 35 people, though > **[Guinness World Record Organization Distinguishes the National Kidney Registry...](https://www.kidneyregistry.com/news/guinness-world-record-organization-distinguishes-the-national-kidney-registry-for-worlds-longest-kidney-transplant-chain/)** > > Guinness World Records officially recognized the National Kidney Registry (NKR) for the longest kidney transplant chain in the world. This massive chain was supported by the combined efforts of 25 transplant centers, it included 70 surgeries,... > Kathy Hart, a Good Samaritan donor, started Chain 357, the longest chain in the world, on January 6, 2015. Her generous gift to a stranger began at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and the chain ended at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin on March 26, 2015. The final recipient in the chain was a voucher holder whose donor donated on August 5, 2014. “Our longest chain prior to 357, included 60 surgeries and took 5 months to complete. Chain 357 included 70 surgeries and took about half the time to complete, showcasing the tremendous progress achieved in streamlining the paired exchange process,” explained Garet Hil, Founder and CEO of the National Kidney Registry and a voucher donor himself. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/465 "2026-01-24T22:22:20Z")
If I understand it correctly, it doesn’t help just one person. If there are ten donors and ten recipients, then ten people get helped.If some of the recipients would have been able to find a donor without this chain, it would have been the same number of surgeries. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/466 "2026-01-24T22:32:34Z")
When I do a search on the claim that a camel will die on seeing a dead camel, I get an answer that no one has ever believed this. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/467 "2026-01-24T22:46:50Z")
It was in a strange facts/believe it or not type page in an old comic. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/468 "2026-01-24T22:56:06Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > claim that a camel will die on seeing a dead camel What comic? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/469 "2026-01-24T22:58:49Z")
I don’t remember. I’ve been browsing a lot of 1940’s-1950s comics online. Could have been any of half a dozen titles. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/470 "2026-01-24T23:01:26Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > If I understand it correctly, it doesn’t help just one person. If there are ten donors and ten recipients, then ten people get helped.If some of the recipients would have been able to find a donor without this chain, it would have been the same number of surgeries. Yeah that’s the way it works. Simple example: Persons A, B and C all need a kidney, but their best friends don’t match. However, A’s friend A’ does match B and B’s friend B’ matches C. If C’s friend C’ matches A, or if good Samaritan S matches A, then a chain happens (and in the case with a good Samaritan, one selfless person is helping three people (by motivating the other friends to participate) ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/471 "2026-01-24T23:11:26Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > > > claim that a camel will die on seeing a dead camel > > What comic? Looks like it could be from _Ripley’s Believe It or Not_. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/472 "2026-01-24T23:22:08Z")
Only if the camel burps, farts, and sneezes at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/473 "2026-01-24T23:30:16Z")
According to Google, it was from February 22, 1973 > **[Union Springs Herald from Union Springs, Alabama](https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/668604916/)** > > Get this Union Springs Herald page for free from Thursday, February 22, 1973 Crossword ACROSS 1. Proportional shares 7. Weakened 13. Unfinished 14. Louisiana French language 15.. Edition of Union Springs Herald (you can see the camel in the upper left - just to the right and below the crossword puzzle) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/474 "2026-01-25T02:53:34Z")
Looks about right (other than not being color). The other three there are: Texas was an independent republic before becoming a state. The Secret Service was created to fight counterfeiting. The sunlight reflected from the Earth equals more than a dozen full moons. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/475 "2026-01-25T11:22:35Z")
Note that this is not a comic book. This is a page from the _The Union Springs Herald_ (published in Union Springs, Alabama) on February 22, 1973. It appears that the section of the page with the camel story came from some company that distributed such things to many newspapers. When I click on the website for that newspaper, I get some URLs for this year, so it still exists. It’s a weekly newspaper. It’s not clear if it’s only online or if it’s also actually printed and available that way. Darren\_Garrison, did you read this in a comic book or in a newspaper? In any case, it’s not clear if anyone ever believed this trope or if it was made up to fool people. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/476 "2026-01-25T11:29:31Z")
In a comic, as I said earlier. Note that my version is color and the newspaper version is line art. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/477 "2026-01-25T11:58:54Z")
Just like comic strips that are printed in color in some newspapers and in black and white in other ones. ---
**Author:** ![Cheetahkins](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheetahkins/32/20603_2.png) [@Cheetahkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheetahkins)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797/478 "2026-01-28T02:28:18Z")
I never thought about it but that sounds exactly right to me, I bet that’s where it came from! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-or-nearly-dead-tropes/1014797.md?page=23)