Spontaneous human combustion

waltky · Aug 17, 2013

Indian baby suffers from spontaneous human combustion...

Rare medical condition sets Chennai baby afire repeatedly
August 11, 2013 > Three-month-old has gone up in flames four times so far; under treatment for extensive burn injures

Rajeswari’s joy knew no bounds when she gave birth to a healthy boy. Nine days later, she found him on fire, literally, and scampered to douse the flames. “People thought I set him on fire deliberately,” says Rajeswari, who hails from Nedimoliyur, a hamlet in Villupuram. The baby went on to suffer three more similar accidents following which the village community ostracised Rajeswari and her family. The child, Rahul, now three months old, is currently at the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMC) and is being treated for extensive burn injuries.

He suffers from an extremely rare condition called spontaneous human combustion, doctors at KMC say. R. Narayana Babu, head of paediatrics at KMC, says the baby was referred to the hospital by the Villupuram collector. “The dean got a call from the collector and the child came to us on Thursday evening. We researched online and found that over the past 300 years, 200 such cases were reported. The last reported case was of a 73-year-old man who died in his sleep, after going up in flames, in Wales, England, in 1995,” he says.

In the paediatric intensive care unit where Rahul is admitted, the authorities have placed a bucket of water and a fire extinguisher near the baby’s bed to tackle any emergency. Terming it a ‘rarest of rare occurrence,’ Dr. Babu says, “It has been scientifically documented that concentrated combustion air excreted from the body could result in such episodes. In elderly persons, heavy drinking could lead to the body excreting alcohol-like substance which could get ignited.” Rahul is now being treated with external application of ointment for his burns. On Friday morning, the head of plastic surgery at KMCH, J. Jaganmohan, examined him.

Doctors say the parents will be trained to take care to prevent exposing the child to situations that could cause him to go up in flames. “We have to teach them to avoid sending the child out in the sun and specify the kinds of clothes he can wear when he grows up,” Dr. Babu says. Rajeswari’s husband Karna is an agricultural labourer in a village near Puducherry. The couple also have a two-year-old daughter who is now in the care of Karna’s father.

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Kilpauk Medical College gets rarest of rare cases in burning baby
10th Aug 2013 > The paediatric intensive care unit at Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital on Friday received a number of curious visitors wanting a glimpse of three-month-old baby Rahul who suffers from Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC).

Only 200 cases have been seen such in the world over the past 300 years, the last reported case being in the United States in 2010. “The body burns spontaneously due to combustible gases emitting from the patient’s body, without any external source of ignition,” said Dr R. Narayana Babu, head of the paediatrics department, Kilpauk Medical College. “Clothes and other things nearby that are inflammable may also catch fire.”

Three-month-old Rahul being treated for burn injuries at KMC on Friday.

The infant was admitted to the hospital on Thursday with burn injuries. The baby had had four such episodes with the first one barely nine days after his birth and another more recent one three weeks ago. “An episode may or may not recur. It’s like any other burn injury, with the likelihood of scars and secondary infections. Plastic surgery is also expected to be done. The relatives or parents have to always keep an eye on the baby. Matchsticks, crackers or anything that can catch fire should not be kept near him,” Dr Babu added.

A bucket of water and fire extinguisher have always to be kept ready near the baby’s bed. “We visited many hospitals and finally admitted him here. Nobody knows the exact cause. We hope he will be treated at Kilpauk Medical College,” said Rahul’s father, Karan, a farmer, and his wife, Rajeshwari, who stay near a village in Tindivanam. The couple has a two-year-old daughter.

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In rare condition, Tamil Nadu infant keeps catching fire
Aug 10, 2013 > Rahul has been virtually in flames four times since he was born two-and-a-half months ago. Doctors say it's due to a rare condition called spontaneous human combustion (SHC).

Afflicted with the disorder, seen only in 200 people across the world in the past 300 years, the child is undergoing treatment at Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital. Rahul was nine days old when he first "caught fire" in the presence of his mother Rajeshwari who watched in disbelief as there was no source of fire in the vicinity. She took him to the Villupuram Medical College from where the baby was discharged three days later. After coming home, he suffered burns again. "Doctors say he is a healthy child and his organs are fine. The last time he caught fire was a fortnight ago, and this time it was head to toe," said Rajeshwari who hails from a village near Tindivanam.

Paediatrician Dr Narayana Babu, who is treating Rahul, said the baby emitted some highly combustible gas through the pores of his skin, which made him catch fire. "We have not identified the gas yet," said Dr Babu. The case has stunned doctors in the city. There are many theories about the poorly understood condition, ranging from high acetone content in the body to the paranormal. Some doctors say everyone has certain amount of alcohol present in their blood and when its content is high, it combines with the gases in the body; resulting in burns. "More than 20 years ago, we saw a similar case of a 23-year-old man, but it went undocumented," said Dr Jayaraman, former head of the burns unit in KMC. "Several theories of SHC do the rounds but they are very vague and not backed by scientific proof. Though there is no special cure for the condition, it can be treated like a regular burn injury," he said.

Dr Kalpesh Gajiwala, a burns specialist at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai, said it was surprising that it happened to a child in a village, where children are usually breastfed and breast milk, would rarely ever be converted to methane. "A plausible hypothesis for SHC is that some bacteria, such as the methanogenic micro-organism-archaebacteria, in the intestine convert the food into methane, which is a combustible substance," said Dr Gajiwala. A small spark, which need not be an obvious one, anywhere nearby, can trigger the fire, said the doctor. "Let us say if the child is covered with a silk cloth which can generate static electricity, the combustible gas and the electricity can cause fire," he said. "The boy should not be near inflammable substances. It's better if he is kept in a cold place," said Dr Babu.

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Spontaneous human combustion

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