What are the theories behind Spontaneous Human Combustion?
Despite numerous claims, there has been no proven cause to SHC. Though every victims situation appeared similar, when examined closely each one differed, disproving all the previous theories thought to be true. Further in history, before anyone recorded them, cases of SHC have appeared along with theories to support them. In the medieval times, SHC was referred to as 'a visitation from God', but as science improved it came to be known as Spontaneous Human Combustion, a fatal phenomenon with no apparent reason.
Burning like a Candle
Commonly referenced to as the Wick Theory, this proposition suggests that SHC might not even exist. Instead, it implies that the victims were supposedly lit by external forces, such as a cigarette or nearby furnace. The first is step is that the victim must be unconscious, perhaps from an overdose or deep sleep. As the victim ignites, fat works as the burning wax and hair and clothing acts as the wick. The wax ignites the wick and keeps it going. Scientist say this is why sometimes the surroundings are untouched because only the body burns, just as only a candle burns when it is lit. Over the course of several hours, the fire, fueled by fat, creates immense heat that turns the body to ashes. This theory even proposes that the reason only feet are left is because the top of the body is hotter, therefore it burns faster. In addition, the sick residue sometimes left after a SHC is just burned fatty tissue.
To support this theory many of the victims were found near a source of fire, suggests that SHC might not be so spontaneous.Nicole Millet was actually found a foot and half away from the kitchen hearth where she went to warm herself when she couldn't sleep.Cornelia di Bandi was found on the floor of her bedroom. An oil lamp was mysteriously found near her drained of all oil. On the table next too her were two candle sticks, also. 60 year old Grace Pett was found across her hearth "burned like a log on a fire" as some said. In addition, Madame de Boiseon was found sitting in her chair next to a burning fire.
To support this theory many of the victims were found near a source of fire, suggests that SHC might not be so spontaneous.Nicole Millet was actually found a foot and half away from the kitchen hearth where she went to warm herself when she couldn't sleep.Cornelia di Bandi was found on the floor of her bedroom. An oil lamp was mysteriously found near her drained of all oil. On the table next too her were two candle sticks, also. 60 year old Grace Pett was found across her hearth "burned like a log on a fire" as some said. In addition, Madame de Boiseon was found sitting in her chair next to a burning fire.
Wick Effect
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Alcohol Consumption
In 1700s and 1800s, SHC was believed to be cause by excessive drinking. Inspired by Dicken's book Bleak House, in which character dies of SHC after over dosing on drugs, it was thought that the body could be extremely flammable when saturated with these fluids. Though, evidence now suggests that not many of the victims were drinkers. In addition, it has been proved that the concentration of alcohol in the body could never high enough to make it flammable. In 1850, Justus Von Liebig proved that tissue doused in alcohol could never turn to ashes, even when an external flame is applied. Just the fact that some corpses had organs remaining demonstrated that the fire couldn't have started on the inside.
Bacteria
On farms, haystacks have randomly burst into flames with no apparent reason. Some have tried to explain SHC in the way. In the haystacks, bacteria grows and multiplies so quickly that the collective body heat cause the hay to start on fire. In the human body, if this were to happen, the body would die of infection before it was hot enough to explode.
Static Electricity
Static Electricity is still a thought to be one of the factors in SHC. Professor Robin Beach of the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute claimed that there could be enough static build up in the human body to ignite a fire. Little did he know, his theory was very misunderstood in correlation with SHC. In the book Strange Stories, Amazing Facts almost a whole chapter was credited to Professor Beach's theory. Though, neither the author or the professor knew of SHC. When compared to SHC, some people further speculated that the electric fields within the human body could possible short-circuit, causing a chain reaction that caused internal heat.
Explosive Diets
In Jenny Randles book, Strange & Unexplained Mysteries of the 20th Century, she points out that many SHC cases occurred in European and American societies. In addition, she concludes that the reason there is a lack of recorded cases in non-European societies is because of their different diet. According to her Europeans eat foods that easily ignite their bodies. Though this theory may seem ludicrous, it goes along with the common similarity between victims of being overweight.
Subatomic Pyrotron Theory
Hypothesized in the book Ablaze! Spontaneous Human Combustion by Larry Arnold, the Subatomic Pyrotron Theory is based purely on quantum physics and what Arnold believes to be true. This theory suggests that there is a extremely small but high-powered particle, pyrotron, that can zip through the spaces in an atom. These atoms are part of the molecules that make up the human body, and on a rare occasion the pyrotron is believed to hit another particle to create a flammable chain reaction.