Spontaneous human combustion

Rahul has been virtually in flames four times since he was born two-and-a-half months ago because of a rare condition called spontaneous human combustion reports TOI. The disease is seen only in 200 people across the world in the past 300 years.

Rahul was nine days old when he first developed spontaneous burns. The baby emitted some highly combustible gas through the pores of his skin, which made him catch fire.

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. Though there is no special cure for the condition, it can be treated like a regular burn injury.

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.

A small spark, which need not be an obvious one, anywhere nearby, can trigger the fire.  If the child is covered with a silk cloth which can generate static electricity, the combustible gas and the electricity can cause fire. The boy should not be near inflammable substances.