Monday, December 10, 2007

Spontaneous Human Combustion





This morning, I came across the story of a five-year-old Indiana boy named Chucky who is believed to have been a victim of an extremely rare and scientifically unproven phenomenon known as Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC). Fortunately Chucky survived. Others have not.

Throughout history, there have been numerous accounts of individuals who've caught on fire for no apparent reason. Witnesses report that the flames seem to come from inside the victims' own bodies. Even stranger, the fires often leave the person's clothes, furniture, and surroundings unsinged. In Chucky's case, he'd just emerged from the bath and sprayed himself with some cologne when his body ignited. Doctors are still searching for the cause.

Some say that the first account of SHC can be found in the Bible. (Aaron's sons were consumed by mysterious fires.) And Charles Dickens makes use of spontaneous combustion to do away with an unappealing character in his novel, Bleak House. But most scientists insist that the idea is ludicrous, since the human body is made mostly of water.

Those who dare can read more about Spontaneous Human Combustion here. I must warn you, though. It's not for the faint of heart--or those prone to nightmares.

13 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

thats really interesting, and rather hard to believe, but, I do.

8:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ahhh! thats it: from now on im carrying a bucket of water w/ me at all times! combust! combust!

8:16 PM  
Blogger Spring said...

Five years old and wearing cologne?

It's kinda sad that other people haven't survived. How does Chucky do it?

11:18 PM  
Blogger International Mastermind said...

Hmm...that would explain grandma's hot flashes...

6:35 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The diagrams on the HowStuffWorks article are pretty horrific!

7:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Actually, Ananka, Aaron's sons were punished by God for improperly performing a certain ceremony.

Can I help it if I'm a die-hard Christian?

8:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Spring: Five-year-olds and cologne. It does make you think, doesn't it?

IM: Totally evil and hilarious.

Hazel: I know and I'm sorry. I hope you haven't been scarred for life!

Patsee: It's always good to have a Bible scholar on your side! Another website mentioned that, but to be honest, I couldn't remember the story! As soon as I get home (I'm in Boston right now) I'll whip out the Bible and refresh my memory. Thanks for the tip!

9:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

DUDE!!!!!!! that is so creepy, man now only if my math textbook would self-combust that would be so wicked.

I agree about the 5 and cologne, dude my brother who would be 12 and loving it, thinks cologne is for old dudes and smells nasty

12:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OWWWWeWWWWW

3:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Spontaneous Human Combustion has always intrigued me...

8:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

SHC sounds ludicrious all right, but I've heard some wierder stories. It seems wierd that SHC is mentioned in the Bible. Where can I get more Info?

1:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

ummm the link isnt working anymore.. im really curious to find out more though >_<

I feel bad though, i used to tease my little brother by saying he would spontaneously combust if he lied to me...didnt know it was possible at the time...

3:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've heard about this before, it's really scary! :o

1:58 PM  

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