What is the term for spontaneous human combustion?

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is the pseudoscientific concept of the combustion of a living (or recently deceased) human body without an apparent external source of ignition. Current scientific consensus is that purported cases of SHC involve overlooked external sources of ignition.

What causes spontaneous combustion?

Cause and ignition Spontaneous combustion can occur when a substance with a relatively low ignition temperature (hay, straw, peat, etc.) begins to release heat. This may occur in several ways, either by oxidation in the presence of moisture and air, or bacterial fermentation, which generates heat.

What is the scientific consensus on spontaneous human combustion?

Current scientific consensus is that purported cases of SHC involve overlooked external sources of ignition. “Spontaneous human combustion” refers to the death from a fire originating without an apparent external source of ignition; the fire is believed to start within the body of the victim.

Who was the first person to spontaneously combust?

Reported Cases Of Spontaneous Human Combustion The first case of spontaneous combustion on the record took place in Milan in the late 1400s, when a knight named Polonus Vorstius allegedly burst into flames in front of his own parents.

Can Humans spontaneously combust?

For several centuries, people have debated whether human beings can spontaneously combust, or burst into flames without being ignited by an external source. Though the first known accounts of spontaneous human combustion (SHC) date all the way back to 1641, the phenomenon gained wider exposure in…

What is spontaneous combustion according to Rolli?

Rolli described it as “a process in which a human body allegedly catches fire as a result of heat generated by internal chemical activity, but without evidence of an external source of ignition.” The idea gained popularity, and spontaneous combustion became a fate particularly associated with alcoholics in…