Spontaneous Human Combustion

 Huda Raeisi

Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) is a Phenomenon that occurs when a person is supposed to burst into flames and burn frequently with no or little external source of ignition. It is commonly used to describe incidents in which a person's body is found with ashes and burned remains. It's a controversial and rare incident, and there's a lot of discussion concerning its reliability and its root causes.

Rolli developed the term in Philosophical Transactions, which was published in 1744 by the London Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy. 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.” During the Victorian era, spontaneous human combustion became associated with alcoholism. Since the late 1400s, spontaneous combustion has been reported numerous times in Milan. 

Although this is the case, it is important to keep in mind that SHC is a complicated and unclear concept and that many scientists and professionals have doubts about its existence. In spite of the fact that there are only a few documented cases of spontaneous human combustion worldwide, there have been numerous recorded instances over the course of history. In the 19th and 20th centuries, reports of suspected cases of SHC continued to surface, mainly in Western countries. It was common for medical journals and newspapers to report these cases. 

The cases mainly involve elderly individuals, and the majority of documented cases date from the 17th to 19th centuries. The earliest reported cases of spontaneous human combustion date back to the 18th century, and most reported cases can be explained by known mechanisms of fire. However, there may have been earlier undocumented cases. Cases apparently have highly individual features. Typically, victims are elderly, overweight Caucasian women who are isolated from society and have consumed excessive amounts of alcohol.

Additionally, on the website, “Is Spontaneous Combustion Real?” It details everything about the SHC and anything else that was necessary to know. It discusses what happened during the fire and whether it was based on spontaneous human combustion (SHC) or not. Nowadays, spontaneous combustion incidents are rare, and scientific tests have not been able to provide conclusive evidence of their occurrence. Due to these circumstances, SHC has become more of a historical curiosity, a subject of debate and skepticism, than a well-established scientific fact.

Therefore, spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is an unclear phenomenon that occurs when people appear to burst into flames without any apparent external source of ignition. Several recorded incidents can most likely be attributed to traditional sources of ignition as a result of the lack of consistent evidence and confusion within the scientific and medical communities. There is currently less acknowledgement of SHC as a scientific phenomenon and more of a historical curiosity. In addition, it is necessary to conduct thorough research in order to determine the exact nature of these events.

Works Cited:

Halperin, Jonathan. Image from Spontaneous Human Combustion. 2005, IMDB, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1624624/mediaviewer/rm2642788352/?ref_=tt_ov_i.

Harris, Tom. “How Fire Works” HowStuffWorks, Updated, 2023, https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire.htm.

STAFF, HISTORY. “Is spontaneous human combustion real?” History, February 6, 2013. https://www.history.com/news/is-spontaneous-human-combustion-real.

Links for Further Research:

STAFF, HISTORY. “Is spontaneous human combustion real?” History, February 6, 2013. https://www.history.com/news/is-spontaneous-human-combustion-real. This website was published by HISTORY STUFF and provides background information on spontaneous human combustion. It determines whether it is real or not, and it shows every aspect about it, as well as the aim of it, which may be read from it. Furthermore, the website's most recent change was on August 9, 2023. It contains up-to-date information on how spontaneous human combustion has evolved over time.

Watson, Stephanie & Mancini, Mark. “How spontaneous human combustion works” HowStuffWorks, September 21, 2023. https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geophysics/fire.htm. This website was created by Stephanie Watson and Mark Mancini to provide information about spontaneous human combustion. It explains how and why spontaneous human combustion began. It is detailed in every aspect and aids knowledge. Furthermore, the website's most recent update was on September 21, 2023.

Byard, Roger W. "The mythology of 'spontaneous' human combustion." Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology, vol. 12, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 350+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713962305/AONE?u=uscaiken&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=1650d8ec. Accessed 29 Oct. 2023. Roger W. Byard wrote this article, which discusses the methology scientists of spontaneous human combustion. It reveals how scientists understand spontaneous human combustion and how they uncover it over time when human bodies are burned and destroyed. It is thorough with every detail and aids in understanding.

The Origins of Death Alley

Author: Kei

Death Alley, an ominous name of an alleyway in Chicago where many bodies were laid to be identified. The Alley is rested behind a Theatre that was called the Iroquois theatre in 1903 and is currently called the Oriental Theatre. The Iroquois Theatre is located at 24-28 west Randolph Street, between State Street and Dearborn Street, in Chicago Illinois. The Alley is located at he couch place or 24 Randolph Street.   

The Theater was said to be fireproof like how the Titanic was boasted to be unsinkable. The Theater was unfit for fires and had many problems. Inside the theatre there were no sprinklers, alarms, telephones, water connections and not many easily accessible exits. The building was fit with asbestos curtains and the fire man of the building discussed the Deficiencies of the building with the fire chief. The fire chief and fire man of the building did nothing out of fear of the syndicate who owned the building would dismiss their fears, they were also told they could do nothing as the theatre had its own fireman. 

On the day of said fire the theater was filled with about 2,100-2200 people in attendance to the theater (most of those being children watching the matinee performance). During the beginning of the second act of a musical called “In the Pale Moonlight” an arc light ignited a curtain, and the fire began to spread, many tried to dose and stop the fire to no avail. As the fire spread many people in the crowd were in unrest and a man named foy attempted to calm the crowd, as he was, he saw just how many people were in the Theater. The audience began to try to flee out of the doors but couldn’t get past bascule locks on the doors. The performers on stage were able to escape out bigger doors that were used to transport props to the Theater but while doing so made the fire bigger as the cold air rushed in.

The fire killed about 300 people and in those were only five actors that were present. The victims of the fire were killed by being trampled by scared people looking to flee, asphyxiated by fire, smoke, and gasses. This event has led to an impact on the change of theater safety laws and all theaters in the country were closed for retrofitting (some in Europe too). The alley that lay behind this ill-fated theater became itself after the fir as many of the dead bodies were laid there to be identified after the fire. The Alley is now a place where many who walk past say they feel phantom hands and whispers of your own name in the alley. Tales of ghouls who stole from the victims of the fire are told also. This Alley is used by commuters of Chicago and stage performers today.

Works Cited:

 Added by Leylairoyale, Edited by beingabear, Collector of Experiences, erjeffrey, and Mat Everywhere, “Couch Place [The Alley of Death].” Atlas Obscura, 25 Jan 2018. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/couch-place-the-alley-of-death

 Crozier, Elizabeth. “The History Behind Illinois’ Alley of Death Is Absolutely Heartbreaking.”

ONLY IN YOUR STATE, 27 Dec 2021. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/illinois/creepy-alley-il/

Links for further research:

 Living Landmarks of Chicago. https://livinglandmarksofchicago.com/oriental-theatre-james-m-nederlander-theatre/ Does as the title says giving you a brief description of the events of the theater fire and a little building description.

 Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/visuals/vintage/ct-oriental-theatre-chicago-historic-photos-20181113-photogallery.html This site provides pictures of the theater and description of where it’s located.

Windy City Ghosts. https://windycityghosts.com/death-alley-near-nederlander-theatre/ This site gives a good history of the events of the theater fire and the paranormal activity that happens in the alley.