In Bleak House, Dickens describes one of the characters death by spontaneous combustion.
Here's a URL about it. It might be fun to have opinions tallied to see how many of us, as I do, think it is bullxxxx.
http://www.urbanlegends.com/death/spontaneous.human.combustion/spontaneous_human_combustion.html

I was going to offer an opinion, Dr. Bill, but I just burned up! Whhhhissshhhhhhhhhhhhhp!

Not sure about spontaneous human combustion, but I have it on good authority that Dickens himself had a tragedy occur in his household. He came downstairs one morning to find his cook burnt to death, having fallen into the cookstove. His comment: "Well done, oh good and faithful servant."

Bob Carroll has this to say
http://www.skepdic.com/shc.html
personally, I'll believe it when I see it

"Well done, oh good and faithful servant."

And they're usually so rare, aren't they?

And they're usually so rare, aren't they? Yes--they generally tend to snatch their hands back rather quickly. Unlike my husband's aunt who, many years ago, backed up to the dresser to take a picture of us, and leaned back across it...right against the candle flame. Only she didn't at first realize it. Fortunately the dresser had a mirror, in which my horrified eyes saw the back of her dress on fire. She wound up with the equivalent of a sunburn on her shoulder blade. Another second or two, and the flame would have been at her (sprayed) hair.[shudder] Afterwards, her aunt, with whom she lived (hubby's great-aunt, Aunt Bessie, age 93 or so at the time) simply talked about how she might mend the dress!

> And they're usually so rare, aren't they?

If the servant's relatives had been wanting to contact their departed family member then they might have been advised to try a medium.

these have been some prime ribs...

See what these people are like up here Dr Bill? You ask an interesting question and all you get is mindless nitter-natter.

we're talking about s p o n t a n e o u s h u m a n c o m b u s t i o n, Fald...

You were using s p o n t a n e o u s h u m a n c o m b u s t i o n as a vehicle for your own nefarious purposes.

your own nefarious purposes

yes! yes, I was! muahahahaha.....

I first hoped that spontaneous human combustion was a reality when I was taken to watch "The Sound of Music" at our local fleapit. I hadn't heard of the phenomenon at that point, of course, but even at such a tender age I instinctively understood the urgent need for it or for something very much like it as soon as I heard "Climb Every Mountain" for the first time. Dreadful!

Since then, my sights have broadened. I have this little black book with a list of people I believe the world would be much better off without. Since I'm neither a murderer nor a supporter of capital punishment, plus I think that suicide is the sissy's way out of your problems, there's only route left, isn't there?

Dear Capfka: It must be close to fifty years since I saw "The Sound of Music", but I still remember enjoying it very much, and find your despising it incomprehensible.
Be it remembered that I have liked very few movies.

Re The sound of Spewsick.

Amen, Pfranz. I always want to spell von Trapp with a C where the T is - that movie itself is a crime against humanity. At the very least it ought to carry a health warning about the dangers of excessive exposure to insane levels of saccharine schmaltz.

Maybe y'all'd like the Korean version. With no music.

"Sound of Mucus" gets over 400 Google hits. That's what Christopher Plummer called it, by the way. "The Sound of Mucus." I'm with Chris.

Maybe y'all'd like the Korean version. With no music.

Well, at least it'd have irony going for it, wouldn't it?

Well I liked it, so
SOM that is not spontaneous human combustion which I don't think I'd like at all. Although I've seen an amateur version that I don't care to remember. The sing-long version was fun. (uh, that's SOM again not SHC)

*ponders a sing-a-long during spontaneous human combustion... wonders if they do that at boy scout camps*



"Greater indeed are pleasures that are shared."

I do hope that this topic is not bringing back any painful memories of your umm crossing.

Bingley

Not at all. I thank you and appreciate your concern.

I wasn't physically burned to death. To the best of my knowledge, the worst burn I'd ever had came from staying out in the sun too long. And it wasn't like I'd ever had a serious sunburn at that.

Again, thank you



"Greater indeed are pleasures that are shared."

In reply to:

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Be it remembered that I have liked very few movies.

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Ah, yes, Dr. Bill. Tell me about your reluctance to enjoy the cinema and your tendancy to punish yourself with bad musicals. You maybe have a Pee Wee Herman story you'd like to share?

Sorry to the believers out there but I do NOT believe in spontaneous human combustion. Every case I've heard of are along the lines of..

"Well, Marvin here may have been a heavy smoker and sure he's been known to fall asleep with a ciggy in his hands but look here, he burnt up right here in the livingroom on his chair in front of the t.v. - proof positive that it was spontaneous combustion."

I'm not making that up. I saw that very thing on a documentary about spontaneous combustion. I don't remember the guy's name but the story is exactly like I wrote it.

Plus one of their "proofs" that the cases they presented were really spontaneous was that the fire was so hot it even burned the bones. How is that a proof?

*wonders if this is now moving into what could be considered a "hot topic" on AWAD*



"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind."