Spontaneous Human Combustion

A detailed Summary of Spontaneous Human Combustion

For as yet scientifically unknown reasons, times occur when an unsuspecting person can just burst into flames and be incinerated. This is referred to in the scientific world as Spontaneous Human Combustion or SHC. There are many documented cases throughout history.

The earliest cases go as far back as the early 16th century. Then there are the ones that are as recent as 1998 but have no better explanation of what happen then the ones in the 16th century did. There are truly only two types of cases: fatal and non-fatal.

The fatal cases of SHC represent three-quarters of all the reported incidents. The most common of these cases is the famous "bedroom burnings" in which a victim is found as a pile of ashes with only limbs remaining. These burnings a characterized by five main features:

1) The victim's body and clothing is mostly reduced to ash.

2) Small portions of the body (an arm, a foot, maybe the head) remain unburned.

3) Only objects immediately associated with the body have burned; the fire never spread away from the body.

4) A greasy soot deposit covers the ceiling and walls, usually stopping three to four feet above the floor.

5) Objects above this three to four foot line show signs of heat damage (melte

Another common theory is that the reason people suddenly burst into flames is that they are alcoholics. Although many of the victims were alcoholics experiments proved that flesh impregnated with alcohol can not burn at such a high temperature to cause SHC.

The physical possibility of SHC is little to none. The human body is mostly made up of water and the only thing that really burns readily is the human fat and methane. When a corpse is cremated it requires a considerable amount of heat and a long period of time. Sometimes the bones must actually be crushed. A chemical reaction in the human body would require much doing like eating hay infested with bacteria. Even so only the intestines would probably burn.

d candles, cracked mirrors, etc.); objects below this line show o damage.

The second major type of SHC is the non-fatal cases. The victims usually don't know anymore than the investigators do. The good thing about this is that the victims are alive to tell about what happened and cause most SHC skeptics to take a look at the picture again.

Another very recognized case is the one of Dr. J Irving Bentley,92, of Coudersport, Pennsylvania. He was found as ashes, on December 5, 1966. His body apparently ignited while he was in the bathroom and burned a 2.5 foot by 3 foot hole through the flooring, with only a portion of one leg remaining. There's a picture of the incident on page four.

Other theories include spirits, poltergeists, or demons. The believers of these theories have no doubt that the reason a person bursts into flames is an act of God. They believe the person is being punished for something wrongfully done.

Another very interesting theory is that geomagnetic activity is responsible for S

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1174
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science