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Coconuts can cause death, typically as a result of the fruit falling from trees and striking people on the head. Following a 1984 study on "Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts," exaggerated claims spread concerning the numbers of deaths by coconut. A few people a year have become a widely circulated urban legend. The legend gained momentum after a noted expert on shark attacks claimed in 2002 that falling coconuts kill 150 people worldwide each year.〔 The claim has often been compared with the number of shark-caused deaths per year, which is approximately five.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Shark Research Institute )〕 In 2002, officials in Queensland, Australia, removed coconut trees from local beaches to guard against death by coconut, leading one newspaper to dub coconuts "the killer fruit."〔 Historical reports of actual death by coconut date back at least to the 1770s.〔 Published accounts also include instances of coconuts being used as weapons, including the use of "coconut bombs" by Japanese forces during World War II. ==Background== The coconut palm ''Cocos nucifera'' grows up to tall, with pinnate leaves long, and pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth.〔T. Pradeepkumar, B. Sumajyothibhaskar, and K.N. Satheesan. (2008). ''Management of Horticultural Crops'' (Horticulture Science Series Vol.11, 2nd of 2 Parts). New India Publishing. pp. (539–587 ). ISBN 978-81-89422-49-3.〕 A tree can yield up to 75 fruits per year, but more often yields less than 30.〔Grimwood 1975, p. (18 ).〕 A full-sized coconut weighs about .〔Bourke, R. Michael and Tracy Harwood (Eds.). (2009). ''Food and Agriculture in Papua New Guinea''. Australian National University. p. (327 ). ISBN 978-1-921536-60-1.〕 Coconut palms are cultivated in more than 80 countries of the world, with a total nut production of 61 million tonnes per year.〔Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Economic And Social Department. Statistics Division. (2 September 2010). Retrieved 14 April 2011 from the FAOSTAT Database.〕 The origin of the death by coconut legend was a 1984 research paper by Dr. Peter Barss, titled "Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts", published in the ''Journal of Trauma'' (now known as the ''Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery''). In his paper Barss observed that in Papua New Guinea (where he was based), over a period of four years, 2.5% of trauma admissions were for those injured by falling coconuts, with at least two fatalities. The figure went on to be misquoted as 150 worldwide, based on the assumption that elsewhere in the world there was also a similar number of coconut deaths.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Shark Research Institute )〕 In March 2012, Barss received an "Ig Nobel Award" from the ''Annals of Improbable Research'' in recognition of research that "cannot or should not be replicated." In response to the dubious distinction, Barss told the ''Canadian Medical Association Journal'', "when you're treating these injuries daily, it's not funny at all." Following the publication of Barss' study, exaggerated claims about the number of deaths by coconut began to spread. Reports of death by coconut became so widespread that ''The Straight Dope'', a newspaper column devoted to exposing myths, reported that it had become an urban legend.〔(【引用サイトリンク】date=19 July 2012 )〕 Another writer, Joel Best, described the claim of widespread deaths as a "journalistic equivalent of a contemporary legend." An analysis by the Shark Research Institute cites a press release from Club Travel, a U.K.-based travel insurance company, as helping to spread the urban legend. In an attempt to market travel insurance to individuals traveling to Papua New Guinea, the release stated that coconuts were "ten times more dangerous than sharks".〔 In May 2002, the legend gained new momentum when George H. Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, claimed that "()alling coconuts kill 150 people worldwide each year." Concerns about death by coconut have been reported extensively in mainstream media sources. Such reports include: * In February 1985, ''The New York Times'' reported on the hazards posed by coconut trees and noted that "falling coconuts could strike a person on the ground with a force of almost 2,000 pounds." * In August 2001, the ''Toledo Blade'' reported that "a check with the experts" found that a human was more likely to be killed by a pig or a falling coconut than by "a shark on the prowl for dinner." * In February 2002, ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that coconut trees were being removed from beaches in Queensland, Australia, to guard against "death by coconut." * In April 2002, the ''Boston Herald'' ran an op-ed piece titled "Travelers should watch out for coconuts – the killer fruit." The piece reported on the removal of palm trees bearing coconuts in Queensland and noted that local officials were "advising campers not to pitch their tents under coconut trees." * In June 2002, ''The New York Times'' reported Burgess' claim that "the chances of being killed by a shark are less than those of being killed by a coconut that falls from a tree." * In March 2003, ''The Morning Call'' in Pennsylvania reported, "You are 30 times more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than by a shark." * In July 2005, Richard Roeper in the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' cited a 2001 report from the London ''Times'' for the proposition that, "You're more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than a shark." * In February 2009, CBS News reported: "You have a better chance of being killed by a falling coconut than by a shark." * Following shark sightings off the Massachusetts coast, ''The Boston Globe'' in September 2009 quoted a local resident as saying, "You're less likely to get killed by a shark than by a coconut falling on your head." * In November 2010, ''The Guardian'' reported that the Indian government removed coconuts from the trees at Mumbai's Gandhi museum "for fear that a nut would descend on to the head of President Obama" who had recently visited the city. The article cited the Barss study and observed: "Thanks to Indian officials and perhaps also to Barss, Obama's recent visit to Mumbai was devoid of coconut trauma." * In October 2011, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a story in which Christopher Neff from the University of Sydney claimed that "while people may not pay attention to the statistics, you are more likely to be killed by a coconut than eaten by a shark." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Death by coconut」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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