Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-12-24
Spontaneous Combustion of abe Iku.
man Body.


In former nu nber, ws spoke OF the b.
iief IN the Spontaneous t0nbusti"rf Of the
nunsn boty as "a vulgar superstition" A
correspondent ca h oar At'' ntioB to articles
Ia eyc'oped a., wi ich RI rtj "well suthea-
ticaIrd instsnc, - Of such cOinbu ton
let u, exsm's,- this Iuatter Ia the light Of
~bat is actual krosI.
We mns; in Li.e irst place, cArcfullv dir-
lin nish b-T ss-R the nv ON of a. y. e'sT-
,.lfural oaH,5 aSih'H " Of tie h -iy uadrr
c-risin aisuurm ! c.'Iii'i1ts, and th .fis
spoat1Rs0as Combustion. The IL rtn r !. Mt
,,,ness>s lbs: Indeed, there are tol~rstiy
''~vlI authenticated instances' of the Kind.
TIE latter, " npt abs ,lutely incnncsivable
4 $ Ia the Highest degree improbable. ana
i eminent phS Biologists who have carfuiiy ir-
/ vestigated all tue Cases in which IL is al
t g-d {" have occurred. do I fui q single
Que esiahl shed beyond n doahi.
The earliest case uf the Kind which has a
/ semblance If auis0Tity Ia su tain II, Is nd
TO have hspp. ned in HAS, snd from thar
lime down ~ isr .ear 1917. -hen The La,
I aIles ed case occurred, me Il ~ m tance-
are recorded. fTehig m de- au ausl sis oi
alt ihese cases In 1881, a. Il h.hnd ti,at they
pe uls all ssrre In tue g. osins poirt4:
l. fnsy tuyk pee Va ~tutsr. 2. The We
,im. Nete hard drinkers, ani were 6rut
al the TIM. >. Thry hsp irR-d where the
roouis were hes,ei with hrss ia cpen hre-
places OF pans ut 81 wig chaTcusl. Gases
~n.rs r,.on sre hesfsI ~ neGus ~ closed
stoves are exceedingly rArr; 4. IL is admit.
cd ,hA 10 onsLaa vfl,en present dur ng
the combustion. D. No one OF tie physI-
clans Who collected the cases, or attempted
to explain them, has ever observed the
process, or asceFs1ined What preceded the
combr ,tion. 6. No one has kloSn how
much time hAi elapsed from the beginning
Of the cOmbEst'o1 to the moment when the
Consumed 0Ody vas found.
Ont OF forty -nve cases collectedby Frank,
Of Berlin, in lss3, there are only three III
which it u assumed thas the combu, u,ti9n
occurred when there WAS DO fire in the
1 beighborhood; aud Liubg clearly shoS q
that these three cases are totally unworthy
. OF belief. Tue conclusion 10 which lac
comes Is that Spontaneous comh nstion 10 q
living body is absola'eiy Impossible" fls>r
: which has been saturated ~Iih alcohol for 4
, great length OF time, as Auatomstlcal pre-.
paratioas, 10 not eonbustible u ignIsea
The alcohol burns ~, scarcely chSrTing th'
4 Il sh. TOE cUrpses OF dr0ukards law
never been found 10 be conibustib'e.
N, Duvergir has opposed Liebig's views
aud has expressed the opinioa that niOlecu
lar charges may take place In the hsinl
BODY by which n b-cntnss more eombusti
' bls from the AbsofptiOi uf sicShoi, or frOn
It's conversion ito mUFe d 4 snmaOl CON
pounds baG he admits that the eomouslteI
Is probably neyer spo0tsneons. NJ. Mar,
has sneg.sted that ih1 sDmabls gases, aus
: 20 sibiy even pnOsph1rvted hydroEcr
a Which, under ecriA,a eifcunlstanc; 4, Ia
fiamts on co1tAct with tbs air, may lie grn
Grated In the hving D,dy, aud may tnu
give riss 10 It's st.'ntaDcoHs combnstivn
bn, this is merely a theory TO account 10
such cassa OF combustion, " theS hare oc
d cuFT,d.
i On the whole, this idea of sPontsneon
: combustion app-ais TO DO one OF th"se II
u me- d cal delusiOns which, having once game
a sort of credence, sre not readily give
Il no. Ii Is easy 70 see, ss Liebig Observer
A. that II arose al a time v ben Insn entcrtail
j. ed en- irrgy false views 0n tee subject ,
A combustion, its essener, aud It's causr.
= n only since the time OF bavy, or tor abau
= haif a c~ntury. that com pnst.on has con
20 te tberoughly understood. Afser Peopl
% mad o-ce got II INTO their hrads Ihet u
N hody might take Dire Of iiseiI. IL rs "a
\ Singular tLaI vi, "a man haptsled 10 I
20 bnrIed 90, the case Was explained % ih.
~ay IL II could not readily be aceonnte
% r4 Ia any other way la.t as hundreds I
Of tires csusud hy c4Eclussness, not easily d.
e, teeted, are cha ged 20 the mysterious ~
- cendiafy." 1hen again. other things oeii
be l.qaAl, tue mote marvellous explsa-'ioa
en suangs phenomenA y usually th~ mo-
:, popular Que. The latin pFovero oIaai iga
= tsia pro usagn,fco sst might be Ie@d ens
,is pro nlirifcD esi, wiih everybody, vi lteSsr
lsi upkho4 u passss iVr a lDarNel. We te'
"a. ,noi be surprista' therefore, that th's ld'
.r- Of human combusilbt,uy, which MAS "a
en- inconsistent Nnh the scis Diihc kuu~ ed
ie- OF Ih c age In which At had rs origin a.
"a which e0nss qaently cans 10 bo secepA'
sh by the scientific meD " The time, s1ou
rr, sin 1--we a. popular snpefsiition aud es
lac and an occasional deis nder Among the Aa,a
at OF this u,are enlightened day = Bosio" Jo'
.nb nal OF themiSTN.