spontanious human combustion (SHC)

angel

hought i would give this subject a go,as it has been classed as a unexplainable phenomenon in the past..(please delete if its not within the site subject catagory)

what are peoples views on this...
there seems to be little documentation on shc...

the known cases all seem to have similarities of events.

do you think a human can combust,do you believe its a genuine phenomenon,or the result of carlessness with flammable sources.

Spontaneous Human Combustion is a phenomenon in which a human body purportedly catches fire as a result of heat generated internally by some type of chemical reaction. This phenomena has been reported for hundreds of years. Indeed, belief in the past was that if a person possessed too much anger or drank too much brandy, he or she might burn to death internally - literally combusting into ash within a matter of minutes!

And what about the images of a burned body with feet or hands left intact? The answer to that question may have something to do with the temperature gradient -- the idea that the top of a seated person is hotter than the bottom. This is basically the same phenomenon that occurs when you hold a match with the flame at the bottom. The flame will often go out without provocation because the bottom of the match is cooler than the top.

Finally, how does science account for the greasy stains left on walls and ceilings after a "spontaneous combustion"? They could simply be the residue that was produced when the victims' fatty tissue burned.

No one has ever conclusively proven or disproven the truth of spontaneous human combustion, but most scientists say that there are more likely explanations for the charred remains. Many of the so-called victims of spontaneous human combustion were smokers who were later discovered to have died by falling asleep with a lit cigarette, cigar or pipe. A number of them were believed to have been under the influence of alcohol or to have suffered from a movement-restricting disease that prevented them from moving quickly enough to escape the fire. Another possibility is that some of the fires and strange states of the victims' bodies were the result of a criminal act and subsequent cover-up.

but who knows so lets see what other beliefs are on this matter and maybe look into the evidence.

TELL TALE SIGNS OF SHC
- The body is normally more severely burned than one that has been caught in a normal fire.

- The burns are not distributed evenly over the body; the extremities are usually untouched by fire, whereas the torso usually suffers severe burning.

- In some cases the torso is completely destroyed, the bones being reduced completely to ash.

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

- Only objects immediately associated with the body have burned; the fire never spread away from the body. SHC victims have burnt up in bed without the sheets catching fire, clothing worn is often barely singed, and flammable materials only inches away remain untouched.

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

- Objects above this three to four foot line show signs of heat damage (melted candles, cracked mirrors, etc.)

- Although temperatures of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit are normally required to char a body so thoroughly (crematoria, which usually operate in the neighborhood of 2,000 degrees, leave bone fragments which must be ground up by hand), frequently little or nothing around the victim is damaged, except perhaps the exact spot where the deceased ignited.

DOCUMENTED POSSIBILITIES OF SHC
In 1938, a 22-year-old woman named Phyllis Newcombe was leaving a dance at the Shire Hall in Chelmsford, England. As she descended the staircase of the hall, her dress suddenly caught fire with no apparent cause. She ran back into the ballroom, where she collapsed. Several people rushed to her aid, but she later died in the hospital. Although the theory was that Newcombe's dress had been ignited by a cigarette or a lit match thrown from the stairwell, no evidence of either was ever found. Coroner L.F. Beccles commented on the incident, "From all my experience I have never come across a case so very mysterious as this."

In 1982, a mentally handicapped woman named Jean Lucille "Jeannie" Saffin was sitting with her 82-year-old father at their home in Edmonton, in northern London. According to her father, a flash of light caught his eye. When he turned to his daughter, he saw that her upper body was enveloped in flames. Mr. Saffin and his son-in-law, Donald Carroll, managed to put out the blaze, but Jeannie died of her third-degree burns about a week after entering the hospital. According to Carroll, "the flames were coming from her mouth like a dragon and they were making a roaring noise." There was no smoke or fire damage in the room. Some have wondered if an ember from her father's pipe ignited Jeannie's clothing.

WHAT OTHER CAUSES COULD THERE BE

Alchoholism - many Spontaneous Human Combustion vicitms have been alcoholics. But experiments in the 19th century demonstrated that flesh impregnated with alcohol will not burn with the intense heat associated with Spontaneous Human Combustion.

Deposits of flammable body fat - Many victims have been overweight - yet others have been skinny.

Devine Intervention - Centuries ago people felt that the explosion was a sign from God of devine punishment.

An explosive combination of chemicals can form in the digestive system - due to poor diet.

Electrical fields that exist within the human body might be capable of 'short circuiting' somehow, that some sort of atomic chain reaction could generate tremendous internal heat.
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as we cant call people without wings,angels...we call them friends instead

Kelly · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:24 am Post subject:

I am keeping an open mind on this subject as I have seen pictures of sites where a person reportedly spontaneously combusted and the burn marks left behind didn't indicate that it was caused by carelessness on the part of the victim. So it's one of those things I am curious about, but don't have a clear opinion on!

angel · Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:47 am Post subject:

i agree,i have read many documented case files now of "reported victims of SHC" and they do make you wonder..as for the photos,i have viewed some also...........poor dears with nothing else but a little foot poking out a pile of ash and no apparant scorching to surrounding items....
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as we cant call people without wings,angels...we call them friends instead

Stargazer · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 12:05 pm Post subject:

This topic has baffled many for decades. It is frightening to think that we could all be time bombs waiting to go off at any second! Shocked

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Learn from your experiences in life, both good and bad. That is what they are there for!

angel · Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject:

B O O M
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as we cant call people without wings,angels...we call them friends instead

ANDYSLCK · Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:35 am Post subject:

Bruce Dickinson of AC/DC fame has done a programme on this subject which was shown on sky t.v. In it,he and a group of scientist explored all the possible causes,from diet to hairspray setting alight by static electricity.When its next aired i'll let you know. Smile

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Believing is not always seeing

angel · Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2007 5:26 pm Post subject:

cool,shld be interesting...looking forward to it.
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as we cant call people without wings,angels...we call them friends instead

ANDYSLCK · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:19 pm Post subject:

http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Ghosts-and-Phantoms/Spontaneous-Human-Combustion-SHC.html
Shocked

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Believing is not always seeing

angel · Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:39 pm Post subject:

cool,or shld i say HOT !!!
THANKS ANDY
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as we cant call people without wings,angels...we call them friends instead

Stargazer · Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:03 pm Post subject:

Didn't realise our Bruce Dickinson had been in ACDC, I always knew him from Iron Maiden fame! Smile

_________________
Learn from your experiences in life, both good and bad. That is what they are there for!

ANDYSLCK · Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:09 pm Post subject:

Yeah you're right Embarassed

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Believing is not always seeing

Stargazer · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:12 pm Post subject:

Ah thanks for clearing that up hun. I thought you knew something I didn't! Laughing

I thought years of being a Maiden fan I and didn't even know he used to front ACDC! Laughing

_________________
Learn from your experiences in life, both good and bad. That is what they are there for!

ANDYSLCK · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:43 pm Post subject:

These hip hop stars are all the same to me Rolling Eyes

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Believing is not always seeing