The wick effect is an alleged partial or total destruction of a human body by fire, when the clothing of the victim soaks up melted human fat and acts like the wick of a candle. The wick effect, in conjunction with an external source of ignition, is one possible explanation for incidents attributed to the phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion.
Details
The wick effect theory says a person is kept aflame through their own fats after being ignited, accidentally or otherwise. The clothed human body acts like an "inside-out" candle, with the fuel source (human fat) inside and the wick (the clothing of the victim) outside. Hence there is a continuous supply of fuel in the form of melting fat seeping into the victim's clothing. Fat contains a large amount of energy due to the presence of long hydrocarbon chains.
Examples
Mary Reeser case
Mary Reeser (1884–1951) of St. Petersburg, Florida was most likely a victim of the wick effect. It was suspected that she had accidentally ignited herself with a cigarette. The fat which over time had been absorbed by her clothing likely acted as fuel for the fire. At the scene, investigators found melted fat in the rug near Mary's body.
1963 Leeds case
An investigation of a 1963 case in Leeds included an experiment with a wick effect. A small portion of human fat was wrapped in cloth to simulate clothing. A Bunsen burner flame was then applied to the "candle". Due to the high water content of human fat, the flame had to be held on the "candle" for over a minute before it would catch fire:
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"One end of the candle was ignited by a Bunsen flame, the fat catching fire after about a minute. Although the Bunsen was removed at this point, combustion of the fat proceeded slowly along the length of the roll, with a smoky yellow flame and much production of soot, the entire roll being consumed after about one hour."
The body of the man, Michael Faherty, was found in the living room of his home on 22 December 2010. The scene was searched by forensic experts from the Gardaí and the fire service, and a post-mortem was carried out by pathologist Grace Callagy. Callagy noted that Faherty had suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, but had not died from heart failure. Callagy concluded that the "extensive nature of the burns sustained precludes determining the precise cause of death". In September 2011, the west Galway coroner informed an inquiry into the death that he had searched medical literature, and referred to Professor Bernard Knight's book on forensic pathology, which states that a high number of alleged incidents of spontaneous human combustion had taken place near an open fireplace or chimney. Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of the science magazine Skeptical Inquirer, questioned why the coroner had "conclusively ruled out" other possible explanations.
References
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