COMBUSTION of living individuals of the human species. Citizen Lair, in 1797, com municated to the Philomathic Society at Paris, a memoir on the spontaneous com bustion of human individuals,of which in stances are related in the Copenhagen Acts of 1692; the Annual Register, 1763 and 1775 : the Philosophical Transac tions, 1744 ; the. Observations of Le Cat, 1729 and 1749 ; and the Journal de Me
Difficulties would no doubt be offered for reasoning against these facts ; but the writer remarks, that human testimo ny is not to be rejected, unless the pro bability that the facts must be impossible shall be greater than that arising from the concurrence of evidence ; and he adds, that the narratives, though varying so widely as to time and place, do very re markably agree in their tenor. The cir cumstances are, that (1) the combustion has usually detroyed the person, by re ducing the body to a mass of pulverulent fatty matter, resembling ashes. 2. There
were no signs of combustion in surround ing bodies, by which it could be occasion ed, as these were little if at all injured ; though (3) the combustion did not seem to be so perfectly spontaneous, but that some slight cause, such as the fire of a pipe, or a taper, or a candle, seems to have began it. 4. The persons were ge nerally much addicted to the use of spi ritous liquors; were very fat ; in most in stances women ; and old. 5. The extre mities, such as the legs, hands, or crani um, escaped the fire. 6. Water, instead of extinguishing the fire, gave it more ac tivity, as happens when fat is burned. 7. The residue was oily and fetid ashes, with a greasy soot, of a very penetrating and disagreeable smell.
The theory of the author may be con sidered as hypothetical, until maturer ob servations shall throw more light on the subject. The principal fact is, that char. coal and oil, or fat, are known in some in stances to take fire spontaneously, and he supposes the carbon of the alcohol to be deposited in the fat parts of the hu man system, and to produce this effect.