Is spontaneous human conbustion a factual occurrence or just a myth?

Answer 1

myth....per teacher in my bio class in high school

Answer 2

I do know that some scientists did an experiment on this and found it was just immposible.

They found a more likely cause by looking at the documented cases and the people that were burned.

Firstly as a poster above mentioned, the people were alone for long periods. Thet found that the bodies were completely burned, bone as well similar to what happens in cremation. It required very high teperatures to burn bone however.

The people that were burned in this cases were not always the slimest of folk so the scientists surmised that it is possible that their bodies burned like a sort of reverse cadle, with their clothing acting like the wick on the outside of the wax i.e body fat.

To test it they wrapped a pig (dead ofc) ion a blanket and coated it with goose fat and set it on fire. It burned slowly for over 8 hours and when it was done only the pigs head which was outside the blanket was left, the rst was ash.

I feel this is the best possible explanation for SHC there is, is theres another way I'd like to hear it, I love stuff like this :)

Answer 3

I recall seeing a TV programme on this some time ago; the conclusion was that it is indeed a myth. There are some well-known cases that are supposed to have been spontaneous combustion, but it appears that in most/all cases, there was a source of ignition - I remember an electric fire - and a slow burn resulted from the lack of plentiful oxygen in a small, enclosed, draughtproofed room. The body simply burned like a candle, fats combusting through being melted into clothing that then acted like a wick. Sorry to be distastefully gruesome, but it ain't a pretty picture.

Answer 4

Found an article that states:

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the alleged burning of a person's body without a readily apparent, identifiable external source of ignition. The combustion may result in simple burns and blisters to the skin, smoking, or a complete incineration of the body. The latter is the form most often 'recognized' as SHC. There is much speculation and controversy over SHC. It is not a proven natural occurrence, but many theories have attempted to explain SHC's existence and how it may occur. The two most common explanations offered to account for apparent SHC are the non-spontaneous "wick effect" fire, and the rare discharge called static flash fires. Although mathematically it can be shown that the human body contains enough energy stored in the form of fat and other tissues to consume it completely, in normal circumstances bodies will not sustain a flame on their own.

Answer 5

IT'S A MYTH.
There is always an external ignition such as falling asleep and catching a trouser leg alight on an electric fire. A clothed body acts similarly to a candle in reverse i.e the wick is on the outside. Very little heat is given off which explains why no surrounding objects have caught fire.

Jeez! There's some right trippers answering this question.

Answer 6

There have been many documented accounts of SHC where a fire has been severe enough to burn skin and bone yet left carpets untouched (http://www.crystalinks.com/shc.html). It seems to occur more in loners and depressed people making some people thoerise about maybe it being some sort of self destruct for the human body, whereby when a person has truly given up on life mentally, his body has the ability to do the same. This is all thoery of course as I have never witnessed it so I can not say, but I think there is enough evidence to support some form of inner combustability by the human body.

Answer 7

It has neither been verified, nor even commonly reported.

This puts it in the category with ghosts, Bermuda Triangle disappearances, poltergeists, ESP, reincarnation, abductions by aliens in UFOs, etc.

MYTH is my vote. The body is mostly made of water, and is incapable of self--cremating.

Lightning/electrical burning would be much more likely explanations for the small paucity of ambiguous reports about it. If a body is found burned to death, the last thing one should think is that it burned itself. Cause and effect. Something caused it to burn, rather than it just erupting into flames for no reason.

Answer 8

Factual. I was a manager of a bar 17 years ago, and one morning we came in to work, and out back of the bar was the remains of a local alcoholic that used to sleep in the alley who spontaneously combusted. Freaky.
http://www.glenbenson.com/unexplained/spontaniouscomb.jpg

Answer 9

I'm pretty sure that it can happen. I remember a story in a paper a few years back about a checkout girl in a supermarket who said she was feeling a little flush then her knickers burst into flames she had to run and get put out.........Strange but true!

But can you imagine getting freaky with her that would be some burning sensation afterwards.

Answer 10

Bit of both, I saw a program on it a while ago, there is something called the "wick effect" I cant remember exactly what it said but if if someone is covered in a certain way in certain conditions the body can burn like the wick of a candle.
Wierd city.

Answer 11

It does exist but is dependant on certain chemical configurations of the human body in conjunction with the Earths magnetic fields