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The most mysterious deaths in history: Why are some people thought to have died of spontaneous combustion?
In the long course of history, nature has always given mankind countless mysterious phenomena, and the concept of "spontaneous human combustion" is among the most eye-catching. Spontaneous combustion Human combustion, as the name suggests, is the phenomenon in which a living or recently deceased human body ignites itself in the absence of an apparent external source of ignition. This phenomenon has been described in many reports and documents, and it seems to have some common characteristics and background, which has led to endless curiosity and speculation.
The concept of "spontaneous human combustion" first appeared in 1746, when Paul Rolli, a member of the Royal Society, described a man named Cornelia Zangiri in the Philosophical Transactions. The death of Countess Cornelia Zangheri Bandi aroused the interest of the scientific and medical communities.
Over time, research on this phenomenon has attracted widespread attention in the medical community. Especially in the 20th century, relevant reports began to point out some common characteristics of spontaneous human combustion. For example, the victims were usually elderly women, they had been drinking for a long time, and there was no obvious fire-prone environment. The 2023 investigation suggested that a more plausible explanation for these mysterious deaths might be the overlooking of some apparent external source of ignition.
"In many cases, the burning process of the victim's body fat may form a candle effect, causing it to continue burning."
Scientists have conducted extensive research and analysis on spontaneous combustion human combustion events and found that many events that are considered spontaneous combustion are actually caused by other obvious fire sources. These fire sources include candles, smoke, heaters, etc. Although some reports of spontaneous combustion deaths are still common in history, scientific investigations have always believed that the possibility of their occurrence is extremely low, because human physiological structure and environmental obstacles make it almost impossible for spontaneous combustion to occur without a fire source.
Some modern investigations have also hypothesized that the victims of many spontaneous combustion incidents were often elderly people with limited mobility and often alcoholic. This prevents them from responding in time when threatened by fire. For example, in some cases, victims fell asleep after burning cigarettes, falling into a state that required the slow release of body fat, which instead became fuel for continued burning.
"If spontaneous human combustion is a real phenomenon, why doesn't it happen more often in people's daily lives?"
In much literature, spontaneous human combustion is distinguished from self-immolation, which is usually done with suicidal intent. Cases of self-immolation dominate headlines in Western countries, but are as high as 40% in some developing countries. Many proponents of the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion tend to ignore official autopsy reports and irrelevant evidence and insist on their own views. This makes some phenomena more controversial.
Many entomological studies in space have pointed out that phenomena similar to spontaneous combustion may be related to the combination of certain chemical substances, such as ketones produced by metabolism, which may become a flammable fire source. However, this theory still needs more research evidence to confirm.
In this context, cases of spontaneous human combustion have been reported one after another. In 1951, 67-year-old Mary Reeser was found completely burned to ashes, with only one leg left. The investigation indicated that she was smoking before falling asleep and then dropped the cigarette, causing the clothing to burn.
"What cannot be ignored in Mary's story is that the fat in her body became the key to continued burning."
Case like this raises questions about science. Many scientists have questioned the phenomenon of "spontaneous human combustion" and called on society to view this mysterious field with caution. Although many cases seem unexplainable, is the truth behind it really so unsolved?
Spontaneous human combustion cases in history are mysterious events that have been repeatedly mentioned by celebrities, literature and popular culture. Does it make people have more different interpretations and thoughts on the concept of "spontaneous combustion"? Faced with such a unique phenomenon, perhaps we should all think again: Are there hidden moral and scientific questions behind the very different death cases in reality and literature?
