‘Seinfeld’ Fans Investigate the Real-World Implications of Dropping Junior Mints into Surgical Patients

When Seinfeld first began, it mostly focused on the day-to-day happenings of a New York stand-up comedian and his friends — the idea being that we’d get to see the events that helped to shape his act. But by the fourth season, the show was tackling far more bizarre subjects, like, say, the potential side effects of inserting pieces of candy into surgical cavities. 

“The Junior Mint” memorably found Jerry and Kramer attending Elaine’s artist ex Roy’s splenectomy and inadvertently dropping a lone Junior Mint into the incision following a scuffle in the observation deck, which none of the doctors notice.

While Roy takes a turn for the worse, the chocolatey treat seemingly saves his life. As the surgeon notes at the end of the episode, a mysterious force “staved off” the infection, possibly something “from above.”

Could wedging candy between internal organs actually be beneficial for surgery patients? A Seinfeld fan on Reddit recently asked medical experts to weigh in on what would really happen were someone to drop a Junior Mint into the abdominal cavity. 

One commenter, claiming to be an abdominal surgeon (although we obviously have no way of verifying that), said that the Junior Mint would likely cause an abscess (“a collection of pus within the tissues of the body”) that might require drainage. But the “rest of the mint would break down.” They did admit, though, that “some type of weird chemical reaction/burn could occur from some ingredient/content of the mint that could make a hole in the bowel,” adding that this “seems very unlikely.”

This is hardly the first time that the episode’s medical science has been discussed online. YouTuber Doctor Mike once noted that, contrary to George’s nonchalance, the Junior Mint could “really hurt” Roy since it could cause an infection and even peritonitis, which would be a medical emergency. But he also points out that doctors have “left all types of surgical devices in patients.” 

So while there’s no precedent for a Junior Mint specifically being sewn up inside of a surgical patient, it’s not that uncommon for random items to find their way into people’s sedated bodies. 

Incidentally, the writer of the episode, Andy Robin, worried that the premise made no sense after pitching the idea since hospitals generally don’t allow randos to watch surgeries while chowing down on snacks. “It just suddenly dawned on me that this isn’t the 1890s,” Robin told The Huffington Post. “There’s going to be some sterility. It’s going to be a very controlled environment. And how is somebody going to sneak Junior Mints in?”

Even while it was being produced, Robin was certain that he’d be “ridiculed” for the episode’s inaccuracies and “ruin the show.”

Incidentally, despite the fact that the episode was a hit, Robin later quit show business and went to medical school — but presumably he never tested out his “Junior Mint miracle cure” theory.