Phenomena and Processes

Spontaneous Combustion

A circumstance where a substance or organism takes fire and burns without an exogenous source. Spontaneous human combustion differs from preternatural human combustibility in that in the latter, some spark or trivial flame sets the fire and the body tissues, which have a greatly enhanced inflammability, continue to undergo incineration without any external heat source or combustible materials. (Bergman NA. Spontaneous human combustion: its role in literature and science. Pharos 1988;Fall;51(4):18-21)

National Library of MedicineMedical Subject Headings2026

Structured Summary

Abstract

A circumstance where a substance or organism takes fire and burns without an exogenous source. Spontaneous human combustion differs from preternatural human combustibility in that in the latter, some spark or trivial flame sets the fire and the body tissues, which have a greatly enhanced inflammability, continue to undergo incineration without any external heat source or combustible materials. (Bergman NA. Spontaneous human combustion: its role in literature and science. Pharos 1988;Fall;51(4):18-21)

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MeSH Record

Synonyms

9 entry terms
  • Combustion, Spontaneous
  • Combustions, Spontaneous
  • Spontaneous Combustions
  • Preternatural Human Combustibility
  • Combustibilities, Preternatural Human
  • Combustibility, Preternatural Human
  • Human Combustibilities, Preternatural
  • Human Combustibility, Preternatural
  • Preternatural Human Combustibilities

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Aspects Covered

1 allowable subheadings

Indexed with the subheadings history.

MeSH Record

Indexing Annotation

material or human: read MeSH definition; only /hist

MeSH Record

History Note

95

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AMA Style

References

  1. National Library of Medicine. Spontaneous Combustion. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). 2026. Unique ID D018605. http://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2026/D018605
  2. Spontaneous Combustion. In: Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_combustion
  3. Spontaneous Combustion. In: Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q369012