Ridiculous History: “Spontaneous Human Combustion: A Bizarre Controversy”

Podcast: Ridiculous History (iHeartPodcasts)
Hosts: Ben Bowlin, Noel Brown
Date: December 4, 2025
Episode Theme:
A humorous, inquisitive deep-dive into the long-standing claims, pop culture influence, and scientific debate over spontaneous human combustion (SHC)—the alleged, mysterious phenomenon where humans burst into flames with little to no external cause.

Main Theme & Purpose

Ben and Noel set out to explore the strange, macabre allure of spontaneous human combustion—its origins in folklore, infamous historical cases, pop culture echoes (from Dickens to The X-Files), and the attempts of science to explain or debunk it. Is SHC a factual, if rare, human hazard? Or is it an enduring myth sustained by anecdote, fiction, and wishful thinking?

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Allure of Fire (00:26–02:07)

• The hosts open with a playful nod to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and share their fascination (not arsonist tendencies!) with fire and its mythic place as both creator and destroyer.
• Quote:

  “Fire is pretty cool. Promethean even, right? It's a big deal. It is the great creator and the great destroyer.”
  —Ben Bowlin (01:54)

2. Defining Spontaneous Human Combustion (02:11–08:04)

• SHC: “At any point a human can catch on fire—from within, with no external ignition. The internal self-destruction.” (02:48)
• Medical definition:
  The body reduced to ash, little damage to extremities and surroundings, with a “bad-smelling oily substance” present.
  —National Library of Medicine cited (08:04)
• The concept’s persistence: A mix of genuine mystery, sensational stories, and cultural fascination.

3. SHC in Pop Culture (06:07–14:43, 19:04–21:23)

• X-Files references:
  Multiple episodes touch on SHC and pyrokinesis.
• Charles Dickens & Bleak House (09:00–13:35):
  • Dickens used SHC as a dramatic plot twist in Bleak House, killing off the sordid Mr. Krook.
  • Public criticism followed; Dickens, defending himself, cited “dozens upon dozens” of supposed real cases and medical testimony.
  • Quote:

    “I shall not abandon facts until there shall have been a considerable spontaneous combustion of the testimony on which human occurrences are usually received.”
    —Charles Dickens (read by Ben) (13:57)

• Other authors: Herman Melville, Nikolai Gogol, even Sherlock Holmes stories employ SHC as a dramatic device (19:04, 32:23).
• Modern takes:
  • Joe Hill’s The Fireman (a viral pandemic causes people to combust under stress).
  • Comics: Marvel’s Human Torch.

4. Alleged Real Cases of SHC (22:10–32:00)

a. Case 1: Polonus Vorstius (1470) (24:04)

• Italian knight in Milan; after heavy drinking, complained of fiery chest pain, coughed “flames,” then “burst into fire.”
• Not an elderly female, but a noted drinker—a recurring theme.

b. Case 2: Nicole Millet (1725) (25:46)

• Paris innkeeper’s wife found as a “pile of ash” on an unscathed straw mattress.
• Husband acquitted of murder after testimony about SHC from surgeon Claude Nicholas Lakat.

c. Case 3: Dr. Irving Bentley (1966) – Cowdersport, PA (27:50)

• Retired doctor found as a pile of ashes with a slippered leg inside his home; surroundings unscathed; described “sickly sweetish smell.”

• Official verdict: Accidental death, possibly started by a cigarette or pipe, but details don’t quite add up, especially for the localized burn.

• Quote:

  “How can a fire get hot enough to burn Dr. Bentley but not scathe his walker?”
  —Ben Bowlin (30:42)

5. Common Patterns Noted in Alleged Cases (22:10–26:12)

• Victims usually chronic alcoholics, often elderly women.
• Bodies reduced to ash with extremities intact.
• Little damage to surrounding area; distinctive greasy/oily residue.
• Noted in medical textbooks as early as 1823 (Medical Jurisprudence, cited by Perry in 1938 British Medical Journal).

The Scientific Debate

The Wick Effect (32:59–34:52)

• Theory: Body fat acts as candle wax; clothing or hair becomes the “wick.” A small external ignition (like a cigarette) could set off a slow, contained burn—accounting for localized burning.
• Brian J. Ford’s experiment:
  Scale model humans with pig flesh marinated in acetone “burn like incendiary bombs.”

  “When a person is ill, they sometimes naturally produce traces of acetone in the body... an unwell individual produces high levels of acetone, which accumulate in the fatty tissues and can be ignited, perhaps by a static spark or a cigarette.”
  —Brian J. Ford (34:15)

Skeptical Rebuttals (35:25–36:33)

• The cremation problem: Human bodies require very high sustained temperatures (1400–3000°F) to reduce to ash—a level hard to reach and sustain without destroying the surroundings.

• The “contained fire” problem: Why does the rest of the room remain largely untouched?

• Quote:

  “If the fire’s hot enough to reduce a body to ash, how does it not also burn down the whole house?”
  —Noel Brown (36:33)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He describes him as being old, short, cadaverous and withered, and his breath as issuing invisible smoke from his mouth as if he were on fire within.”
  —Dickens on Mr. Krook (13:35)
• “I'm not trying to make light of this dude's untimely demise, but it is a little funny to picture just the smoking pile of ash and like dude's charred water and like a leg joint and a foot still slippered.”
  —Noel Brown, on Dr. Irving Bentley (29:59)
• “These are natural, valid questions asked in good faith—and with these in mind, it shouldn’t surprise any of us that there are other schools of thought.”
  —Ben Bowlin, on the scientific debate (35:32)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:26 — Introduction & fire as mythic force
• 02:11 — Defining SHC
• 08:04 — Medical/scientific description of SHC
• 09:38 — Dickens and Bleak House
• 13:57 — Dickens defends his creative choice
• 19:04 — SHC in fiction (Melville, Gogol, Joe Hill, Marvel)
• 22:10 — Overview of “over 200” historical cases, key patterns
• 24:04 — Polonus Vorstius (“Patient Zero”)
• 25:46 — Nicole Millet case
• 27:50 — Dr. Irving Bentley, Cowdersport, PA (1966)
• 32:23 — SHC in Sherlock Holmes
• 32:59 — Science: the wick effect, acetone theory
• 35:25 — Rebuttals: cremation and heat containment
• 36:33 — Concluding open question: Is SHC possible?

Tone & Style

• Playful, irreverent, and riff-heavy, with frequent asides referencing pop culture (X-Files, Harry Potter, comics).
• Deeply curious, but skeptical—hosts invite listeners along as co-investigators.
• Open acknowledgment of limits (“We don’t have the answer... want to know what you think!”), encouraging community discussion.

Conclusion & Call to Action (36:33–38:53)

• No consensus: Science’s best answers are unsatisfying; some cases remain unexplained.
• SHC persists as myth, curiosity, and fiction, fueled by the fascination with “one of the weirdest stories across the span of human civilization.”
• Listeners are invited to join the conversation and share theories or skepticism on their Facebook group, “Ridiculous Historians.”

Summary:
The episode balances history, science, and cultural myth-making, examining how SHC became entrenched in both popular imagination and pseudo-science. Through the lens of odd historical cases, Dickensian drama, and modern skepticism, Ben and Noel keep the investigation lively, skeptical, and fun, ultimately leaving listeners with more questions than answers and an open invitation to ponder the enduring mystery for themselves.