Imperfect Genius

It seems when natural learning is at work a casual experience can lead to new interest and further research in a particular topic. A book I finished reading last week, Brimstone, mentions several cases of spontaneous human combustion (SHC). Although the book is a work of fiction, a suspense detective novel, it references real events in history.

As I read the book, in which the main characters follow a whirlwind trail of clues to solve a series of bizarre deaths, I began thinking back to a biology class I took in college where we spent some time studying mitochondria. The mitochondria are often called the “powerhouse” of the cell because it’s job is to covert organic materials into energy. Cells can have hundreds or even thousands of mitochondria.

There are several interesting things to note about mitochondria. They have their own DNA and are theorized to have descended from a type of specialized bacteria. They can complete their own protein synthesis and replicate independent of the normal cell cycle. In humans and most other animals, the mitochondria genes are inherited only through the female line. There is a process, called mitochondrial uncoupling or proton leak, that results in small amounts of unharnessed energy being released as heat. This happens, for example, with in the layers of specialized fat of newborns and hibernating animals.

It was proposed during the biology class, either by the professor or the textbook we used, that if a certain percentage of mitochondria released their energy as heat at the same time, the human body could not withstand this intense energy and would subsequently burst into flames. The fat in our bodies would sustain this internal fire. Fat will burn quite easily under the right conditions, in fact most flammable products such as candles and lamp oil were at one time made out of animal fats.

At the time I remember thinking, “Wow, that sounds like spontaneous human combustion.” I can’t recall if anyone mentioned this phenomenon, but mitochondrial uncoupling certainly sprang forth in my mind as a potential explanation worth further investigation. I didn’t delve any deeper into this subject at the time but over the years have noticed with interest many references to SHC in the media, literature, and scientific reports.

Fast forward now to this book, Brimstone, which has once again roused my curiosity. It is the first in a trilogy and I was eager to start the next novel but was disappointed to find that it was on order and would not be in for several days. As I was going to bed that night I practically tripped over a book lying in the floor beside a box of several books I had bought during a dollar sale at Barnes & Noble.

It had obviously been helped out of the box by little curious hands and I almost put it back in the box without glancing at it but at the last second before I laid it down I decided to turn it over and have a look. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it’s title: Spontaneous Human Combustion.

My new favorite word is serendipity and I’ve been noticing that it happens at an amazing frequency lately. So now I am several chapters into this non-fiction book, which bills itself as a rational and objective examination of case histories and factual events related to this phenomenon. It includes interviews with forensic experts, police and fire officers, doctors, witnesses, and burn survivors who lived to tell about their experiences.

I’m awaiting the arrival of the second book in the Brimstone series, but meanwhile I’m off happily pursuing this tangent. Funny how things work out, isn’t it? I can’t get that old song by The Fixx out of my head, “One thing leads to another…”