Mary Shelley, Taphophobia and Life-Preserving Coffins

We’re all afraid of something. Many people live with significant anxiety due to their fear of things such as heights, flying, public speaking, the number 8 for example (Octophobia - it’s a real thing). But one fear puts disproportionately more heebies in our jeebies: taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead. To a mad few, it may seem a genuine irrational fear (like omphalophobia - the fear of belly buttons) but at least some solace can be taken in the fact that it is exceedingly rare… right? There wouldn’t be an episode if that was the case!

 

Perhaps being trapped 6 feet under is more reality than nightmare. This was certainly the case in centuries past.

 

In the early 19th century, when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, it was remarkably common for people to be accidentally buried alive. It happened so frequently in fact, that some clever people came up with innovative escape coffins to help the poor buried people get out. 

 

CHAPTERS:

• 00:00 Taphophobia: The fear of being buried alive
• 01:00 Resuscitation Techniques in the 1700s
• 03:26 The Story of Mary Wollstonecraft
• 07:01 The Influence of Contemporary Science on Frankenstein
• 10:20 What differentiates the living from the dead
• 15:50 The Language of Life and Death in Frankenstein
• 17:15 Historical Methods of Determining Death
• 18:01 The Distinction Between Absolute and Apparent Death
• 21:22 Historical Cases of Premature Burial
• 27:39 Innovative Solutions to Avoid Premature Burial
• 29:46 The Life Preserving Coffin: A Solution to Premature Burial
• 37:01 The Modern Perception of Death

 

PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED:

• World's Most Kissed Face: Why CPR Doll Resusci-Anne Looks Like A French Girl
• The Resurrectionists!
• The Vague Silver Lining of Tobacco

 

SOURCES:

• The Science of Life and Death in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – The Public Domain Review By Sharon Ruston
• What are life-preserving coffins? – How It Works
• Taphophobia and ‘life preserving coffins’ in the nineteenth century - Marco Cascella, 2016
• Life-preserving Coffin in Doubtful Cases of Death | Hagley Digital Archives
• Mary Shelley - Wikipedia

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