Cause of Death: spontaneous human combustion

[DrLeftover]

A man who burned to death in his home died as a result of spontaneous combustion, an Irish coroner has ruled.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15032614

 

[Jazzy]

Retired professor of pathology Mike Green said he had examined one suspected case in his career.



He said he would not use the term spontaneous combustion, as there had to be some source of ignition, possibly a lit match or cigarette.



There is a source of ignition somewhere, but because the body is so badly destroyed the source can't be found, he said.

I agree with Mike Green. I don't believe in spontaneous combustion. The suspected cases that I've read about where other bodies were found like this mostly involved elderly people. They were also found near an open fireplace or open source of flame. If spontaneous human combustion was possible, don't you think there would be more reported cases of it instead of just a few? Maybe I should really ask is how did these people ignite the fireplace?

 

[DrLeftover]

There are some interesting historic cases, and, as noted in the story, the commonality is that everything else in the room, except items in immediate contact with the body, were unburnt.



While I do not believe that it is paranormal, it is interesting,



... ... ...and creepy.

 

[Jazzy]

What Science Says

If spontaneous human combustion isn't real, then what really occurred in the many pictures that exist of the charred bodies? A possible explanation is the wick effect, which proposes that the body, when lit by a cigarette, smoldering ember or other heat source, acts much like an inside-out candle.



A candle is composed of a wick on the inside surrounded by a wax made of flammable fatty acids. The wax ignites the wick and keeps it burning. In the human body, the body fat acts as the flammable substance, and the victim's clothing or hair acts as the wick. As the fat melts from the heat, it soaks into the clothing and acts as a wax-like substance to keep the wick burning slowly. Scientists say this is why victims' bodies are destroyed yet their surroundings are barely burned.

Source: http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/unexplained-phenomena/shc1.htm

 

[The Dragon Master]

Nah, spontaneous combustion isn't real, tbh. What Jazzy quoted sounds quite reasonable.

 

[DrLeftover]

That's what I said.



It isn't paranormal, but it is interesting... and creepy.



Am I wrong?

 

[The Dragon Master]

Interesting, yes. Creepy? No XD

 

[Jazzy]

What I find interesting is that any coroner would come to the conclusion that the cause of death was spontaneous human combustion which has been scientifically proven to be impossible. I don't find this creepy at all as there is always an explaination for cause of death if you don't take the easy way out like this Irish coroner did. This man died of accidental severe burns nothing more and nothing less. I better get out of this thread now before I

 

[Evil Eye]

Ok...

Creepy? No XD

Till you suddenly find yourself on fire...

 

[The Dragon Master]

Till you suddenly find yourself on fire...

Still wouldn't be creepy. Terrifying? Yes