Earth is vast and keeps a mystery. Scientists have made technology evolve. But there are still many things that until now become an unsolved mystery. Well, this time we will serve one phenomenon that still makes the theorists. Amazing as well as horrified, depending on each perspective, hehe. Because of this time, there was a case of the human body that suddenly burned itself. Imagine, no wind, no rain, no ex (#eh) suddenly boom, someone burns by itself.
As revealed by HowStuffWorks, this case happened to Michael Faherty in 2010 in Galway, Ireland. The body of a 76-year-old man was found at his home in a state of severe burns. Her body was leaning against a chair with her head near the fireplace. However, in the room, there was no burn mark, except the floor under Faherty and the roof above it.
The forensic expert who handled the case concluded that the fireplace was not related to the burning of Faherty's body. He then classified the case as Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) aka the human body that suddenly burns by itself, because there is no sufficient explanation.
The term was first proposed by Thomas Bartholin, a Danish physician, and mathematician, in 1641. He described the death of a knight in Italy named Polonus Vorstius. After enjoying wine with his parents in Milan, his body suddenly burned and he died. Bartholin called it 'a body that burns suddenly.'
Another case referred to as SHC took place in 1966. A retired physician named Dr. John Irving Bentley was found dead at his home. His calf and legs were found intact, but the rest of his body burned to ashes. The hole in the bathroom floor became the only fire that burned his body. Strangely, besides the floor, there was nothing else burning, as if untouched by fire.
Fifteen years earlier, Mary Reeser, a 67-year-old widow, was also burned in her home. He was last known to be alive the night before, around nine, when his son and his landlord left him alone. The next day, a neighbor found Mary Reeser's doorknob too hot. He immediately contacted the police for thinking there had been a fire.
Upon entering Mary's house, the officers were treated to an odd sight. Mary Reeser's body was found sitting on an open chair. While the remaining part of Mary Reeser's body is only her left leg, her spine, and a skull that shrinks to the size of a teacup. But strangely enough, only a small portion of her apartment was broken, the bulkhead of the melted plastic chamber and causing her watch to stop at 4:20.
There are much more cases that happened before, but from so many events, there are some similarities. Quoted from Wikipedia, from the body of the victim, usually, the remaining organs are intact legs and hands, the rest burned. The victim is usually a heavy alcohol addict. From sex and age, most victims are elderly women. The victim's body does not burn spontaneously but through a combustible material. Other characteristics, fire causes little damage to other flammable objects around the victim.
The cases leave the same question: How come people's bodies burn out without a known source of fire? Why other things around him-even in some cases, also the clothes worn-did not burn?
Experts try to solve the mystery for centuries. In the past, many have considered it a magic phenomenon and such. While scientists call static electricity in the body as a cause. Some say chemical reactions of the body. Finally, there is a mention of wick theory: Human body fat is likened to a candle, while the clothes or hair of the victim is likened to the axis. This theory assumes there is a source of fire outside the body that burns skin fat. But what exactly is the source of the fire, has not been found per case.
As a result, despite the growing scientific theories, the exact cause of the above cases has not been revealed until now.
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