What is spontaneous combustion of a person, what are its causes, what causes a terrible natural phenomenon. Cases of spontaneous ignition of people in Russia and abroad. How scientists explain the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion (SPF). Does such a danger threaten each of us, or only a select few become its "victims"?
Scientists have been studying the phenomenon of spontaneous combustion for more than 300 years, but today this mystery has not been fully solved. It is only known that men are more likely to become victims of HSS than women, with the majority of incidents occurring in older people. It is also known that self-ignition can occur both outdoors and indoors.
Known cases of spontaneous combustion
According to official statistics, the first incident of spontaneous ignition occurs in June 1613. A terrible story took place in a small British settlement called Christchurch (which is curious - the name of the village translates as "Church of Christ"). A local resident woke up during a thunderstorm to find that her granddaughter and son-in-law had been burned! The dead man was carried out of the room, but his body continued to burn for three more days, until it crumbled into ash.
It is believed that with a spontaneous combustion, the human body is destroyed more than under the influence of an ordinary flame (for example, in a fire). Eyewitnesses claim that the corpse can burn to the ground, beyond recognition.
Another case of spontaneous combustion occurred with an Italian aristocrat who lived in Cesena in 1731. Before going to bed, the lady complained of extreme fatigue and malaise, and in the morning the gaze of the servant who came to wake her mistress was faced with a terrible sight. Only a handful of ashes and a pair of stockings remained of the aristocrat, between which was her half-burnt head. The ceiling and walls of the room were covered with a layer of soot, which gave off a very unpleasant odor. Moreover, no traces of a fire were found in the room.
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In 1888, a similar fate overtook a retired soldier who died of spontaneous combustion at the age of 65. Dr. Mackenzie Booth testified that the man's face literally turned into coal, but retained its features, and the hands and feet were separated from the corpse. It is noteworthy that at the time of his death, the retired soldier was resting in the hayloft, but the straw around him was not touched by the flame. This startling and macabre case has been published in the British Medical Journal.
Fast forward to Russia. A case of spontaneous combustion of a person was recorded on November 11, 1990 with a shepherd Bisen Mamaev, who grazed a herd near the city of Zhirnovsk (on the border of the Volgograd and Saratov regions). His assistant went about his business for a while, and when he returned, he found Mamaev burned out. No traces of struggle or attempts to extinguish the flames were found at the scene of the tragedy. The medical examination showed that the internal organs of the shepherd suffered the most. At the same time, his clothes and straw, which Mamaev used as a seat, did not catch fire.
Tragedy in Novocherkassk
This incident occurred on November 24, 2017 in the city of Novocherkassk (Rostov region) at about 16:00 Moscow time. A man who was walking along Centralnaya Street suddenly ignited spontaneously in front of numerous astonished passers-by. Of course, rescuers and an ambulance were immediately called to the victim.
A brigade of the Ministry of Emergency Situations that arrived at the scene of the emergency immediately brought down the fire from the person, but, unfortunately, the doctors could not save the man. The ambulance workers stated that he died almost instantly from the burns he received. The reason for this spontaneous combustion remained unclear, investigative actions are underway.
How is spontaneous self-ignition explained?
Does human spontaneous combustion have any scientific explanation? In an attempt to get to the bottom of the truth, scientists have already put forward several theories, some of which have not been confirmed. For example, for some time it was believed that alcohol, accumulating in the body of heavily drinking people, can catch fire. But such a ridiculous assumption did not come true. First, alcohol does not accumulate, but is broken down by metabolism. Secondly, scientists tried to thoroughly "alcohol" dead rats - they injected them with 70% alcohol. The rats did not burn.
Then came the so-called. The "wick theory", according to which, human inflammation is possible due to the reserves of subcutaneous fat and outer clothing. The scientists took several pork carcasses, wrapped them in cloth and tried to set them on fire. The experiment failed.
Today there is a "working" hypothesis of spontaneous combustion, which has not been refuted. The fact is that a very flammable substance, acetone, can accumulate in the body of some people. A similar pathology develops as a result of a deficiency of glucose in the blood, which forces the body to launch complex compensatory processes. It's just unclear what causes the accumulated acetone to ignite. Scientist Brian Ford believes that the "spark" can be generated by static electricity generated by wearing synthetic clothing.