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From: hsf@hlexa.UUCP (Henry Friedman)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: Spontaneous Combustion and people!
Message-ID: <4733@hlexa.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 10:11:45 EST
Article-I.D.: hlexa.4733
Posted: Thu Jan 16 10:11:45 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jan-86 06:32:27 EST
References: <434@well.UUCP> <18400017@convexs>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Short Hills, NJ
Lines: 14

> 
> >	I have been hearing recently about a suppossed phenomenom where
> > certain people have suppossedly spontaneously combusted. Usually their
> > charred remains are found. I would appreciate any information that people
> > might have regarding this suppossed phenomenom.

I have to believe this discussion was originally motivated by the
current presentation on PBS of Dickens' "Bleak House." Dickens has
one of the characters die by spontaneous combustion.  I couldn't figure
out what was supposed to have happened to him, until the host,
Alister Cook, introducing the next episode, explained that the author
had made use of this folk belief.

-- Henry Friedman