What is spontaneous human combustion and how rare is it?

[EIRE2003]

Weird but real!??

What exactly is 'spontaneous human combustion'?? How and why does it happen? Is it very very rare?

 

[Phobos]

http://skepdic.com/shc.html
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_205b.html

 

[PBRMEASAP]

In Dickens' "Bleak House", it happened to Krook because he drank too much cheap gin. Not sure if that was a factual account. Nevertheless, I've been staying away from gin ever since I read that. You just can't be too careful. A little sip of Bombay Sapphire shouldn't hurt once in a while, though. They use only the finest botanicals.

 

[matthyaouw]

Check out the skeptecism & debunking section. There was a thread about it a while ago.

 

[iansmith]

skeptecism & debunking thread on Human combustion
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=55990&highlight=human+combustion