# How did the person who "found a peanut" die? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149 "2005-08-01T15:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/1 "2005-08-01T15:39:29Z")
You probably know the song “found a peanut” but may like me wonder how the protagonist in the song actually died. We have the following clues. The peanut was found, so could have been on the ground and contaminated, but the peanut needed to be cracked open, so the contamination would be hard pressed to have reached the nut inside. The nut was described as rotten though, and the protagonist ate it anyway. The protagonist then got symptoms of stomach ache some time after, severe enough to call a doctor who prescribed penicillin. Dispite this the protagonist had to go to hospital where they had an operation. Despite all the medical intervention the protagonist died. What possible disease/poisoning could have been the cause of this death, leading one doctor to prescribe penicillin, later followed by Hospitalization and some operation in an attempt to save the protagonist’s life? Link to [lyrics](http://worldkids.net/entertainment/music/lyrics/kidsongs/peanut1.htm) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/2 "2005-08-01T15:45:27Z")
aflatoxicosis. [http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.html](http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.html) (N.B. this is a WAG) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/3 "2005-08-01T15:45:32Z")
If the next-to-last verse is meant to be taken seriously (which may be debated) the protagonist survived. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/4 "2005-08-01T15:52:43Z")
The whole incident was a dream, so it wouldn’t necessarily have been a real disease. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/5 "2005-08-01T16:09:59Z")
In the version I learned, it was appendicitis, of course. Correlation with peanut consumption was entirely coincidental, IMO, though the song implied it was causative. Though rare, deaths from appendicitis do still occur despite surgical intervention. Of course, in the version I learned, the hapless peanut-eater was _not_ kicked out of the underworld, but was rather set to work shoveling coal for the eternal hellfires. While shoveling, he stumbled across… And thanks to you, I will be humming “Found a peanut” for the rest of the day. Thanks. 😛🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/6 "2005-08-01T16:18:59Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > The whole incident was a dream, so it wouldn’t necessarily have been a real disease. Yeah, but then they [Found a peanut, found a peanut…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=302614) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/7 "2005-08-01T19:25:31Z")
Most likely strangled by a cabin mate. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/8 "2005-08-01T20:30:29Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > aflatoxicosis. > > [Cornell University Department of Animal Science](http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.html) > > (N.B. this is a WAG) Good info, it won’t be effected by penicillin, and leads to Liver Damage that maybe would result in a Liver Transplant operation which fails and leads to death. I couldn’t find in that cite any info on the toxicity to humans, and whether a single peanut could contain sufficient aflatoxin to kill. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/9 "2005-08-03T14:44:44Z")
Yep, **Bippy** , my info is strictly from the veterinary field. I have seen birds die of aflatoxicosis. Never definitively from a single peanut, but have traced the source to a bag of peanuts (sold as wild animal food, not human grade). ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/10 "2005-08-03T15:19:48Z")
I guess it couldn’t be a severe peanut allergy, because that causes anaphylactic shock, which I don’t think could be described as a stomachache. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/11 "2005-08-03T15:34:44Z")
> [@Mama Zappa](#): > > In the version I learned, it was appendicitis, of course. … because “aflatoxicosis” doesn’t scan to the song… ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/12 "2005-08-03T16:29:33Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I guess it couldn’t be a severe peanut allergy, because that causes anaphylactic shock, which I don’t think could be described as a stomachache. Also it would be unlikely for someone with such a condition to voluntarily eat a found peanut, and I don’t think an opperation would be called for if someone was hospitalised for such a reaction. What other possibilities are there? Anthrax spores on the peanut, nasty parasites? ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/13 "2005-08-03T16:43:53Z")
It may also be a case of post hoc, ergo propter hoc. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/14 "2005-08-03T17:11:55Z")
I vote for deyhydration third-degree burns. Consider that the entire song took place “just now,” the amount of air friction the singer would have experienced would be like re-entry temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/15 "2005-08-03T18:37:27Z")
Damn–is the greatest message board in the worl, or what?! ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/16 "2005-08-04T00:48:22Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > It may also be a case of post hoc, ergo propter hoc. I came down with that once. I don’t think it was from peanuts, though. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/17 "2005-08-04T05:07:12Z")
It took me a long time to come to this realization, and a marathon Red Dwarf filmfest, to realize that “Found A Peanut” is sung to the tune of “Clementine.” So… in a cavern, in a canyon, excavating for a mine, the miner forty-niner was _mining_ for peanuts, just now, and the singer tripped and _fell_ over a sliver of peanut, and into the brine. Just now. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-person-who-found-a-peanut-die/315149/18 "2005-08-04T14:18:32Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > … because “aflatoxicosis” doesn’t scan to the song… _I was diagnosed with aflatoxicosis, I was diagnosed with aflatoxicosis I was diagnosed with aflatoxicosis just now Just now I was diagnosed with aflatoxicosis I was diagnosed with aflatoxicosis just now_ I dunno. Is that any worse than the rest of it?