# Falling coconuts vs. falling durians **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [July 23, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446 "2002-07-23T21:01:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/1 "2002-07-23T21:01:42Z")
In Southeast Asia, they regard the durian fruit’s design as a sort of miracle of safety. The size and shape of a football, the durian is covered all over with big, huge, very sharp thorns (the name _durian_ means ‘thorny’ in the Malay language). It’s considerably bigger and heavier than a coconut, and the durian tree grows quite high, much taller than coconut palms, I think. So considering that a falling coconut, [by Cecil’s calculations](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020719.html), can strike you with a force of 1000 kg, think how much more of a whammy is packed by a falling durian. The locals in durian country say that those big, sharp, wicked thorns are a life saver. If something as heavy as a durian fell on you, you would be in danger from internal bleeding. But the thorns puncture your skin to let the blood flow out. I can’t speak for the medical soundness of this claim, but that is what they say. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/2 "2002-07-25T05:26:00Z")
The Malaysians may believe this, but medically, this is stupid. Internal bleeding doesn’t cause death because of pooling of the blood, collecting and not getting let out. Internal bleeding causes death in the same way that severing an artery causes death: you bleed until you don’t have enough blood circulating in the blood vessels to keep the brain fed with oxygen. Internal bleeding just means your bleeding without a gaping wound to pour blood all over the ground. I would think that what causes death wouldn’t necessarily be internal bleeding, but rather concussion. Hit the head really hard and shake up the brain. Maybe bruise the brain, and thus bleed into the brain cavity, causing blood buildup. Now _that_ is a case where blood building up inside the body can be fatal, but I don’t think thorns puncture the skull, which is what would need to happen to relieve the pressure. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/3 "2002-07-30T04:09:40Z")
Somehow being killed by a falling durian sounds like the definition of being a real loser. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2002, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/4 "2002-07-30T08:16:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JillGat \* > \*\*Somehow being killed by a falling durian sounds like the definition of being a real loser. \*\* I have no idea why, but this cracks me right the heck up. Might I sneak this into my sig for a bit? ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/5 "2002-08-06T13:15:28Z")
'Course if the impact of the durian didn’t kill you, the smell would. ---
**Author:** ![mighty\_maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@mighty\_maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mighty_maxx)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/6 "2002-08-06T20:23:36Z")
With having many a Durian, I can say deffiantely getting hit with one would be anything but life saving. Those things look downright mid-evil. Myron, I’ve never noticed durians having a particular smell. They smell like a fruit to me. They taste wierd, but the smell is nothing notable. ---
**Author:** ![MelCthefirst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@MelCthefirst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MelCthefirst)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2002, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/7 "2002-08-06T23:02:11Z")
In Singapore it is illegal to have a durian in a bus because of the stink and I’ve been in a bus in Indonesia when the driver stopped and made a woman put her durian in the baggage compartment under the bus because of the stink. When I ate them in Malaysia, they certainly stank but when I saw them in the supermarkets here, they didn’t stink?! So I guess something in the refrigeration process stops the smell? ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2002, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/8 "2002-08-08T00:37:18Z")
Well, she had a week to say “No”… ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2002, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/falling-coconuts-vs-falling-durians/120446/9 "2002-08-18T00:41:04Z")
They taste okay, they smell a little weird, but it’s the taste when you burp later that’s truly awful.