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

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:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">00:00 Taphophobia: The fear of being buried alive</li>
<li aria-level="1">01:00 Resuscitation Techniques in the 1700s</li>
<li aria-level="1">03:26 The Story of Mary Wollstonecraft</li>
<li aria-level="1">07:01 The Influence of Contemporary Science on Frankenstein</li>
<li aria-level="1">10:20 What differentiates the living from the dead</li>
<li aria-level="1">15:50 The Language of Life and Death in Frankenstein</li>
<li aria-level="1">17:15 Historical Methods of Determining Death</li>
<li aria-level="1">18:01 The Distinction Between Absolute and Apparent Death</li>
<li aria-level="1">21:22 Historical Cases of Premature Burial</li>
<li aria-level="1">27:39 Innovative Solutions to Avoid Premature Burial</li>
<li aria-level="1">29:46 The Life Preserving Coffin: A Solution to Premature Burial</li>
<li aria-level="1">37:01 The Modern Perception of Death</li>
</ul>
 
PREVIOUS EPISODES MENTIONED:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V18T4BDM62U&amp;ab_channel=TheWholesomeShow">World's Most Kissed Face: Why CPR Doll Resusci-Anne Looks Like A French Girl</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://omny.fm/shows/the-wholesome-show/the-resurrectionists">The Resurrectionists!</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://omny.fm/shows/the-wholesome-show/the-vague-silver-lining-of-tobacco">The Vague Silver Lining of Tobacco</a></li>
</ul>
 
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/the-science-of-life-and-death-in-mary-shelleys-frankenstein/">The Science of Life and Death in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein – The Public Domain Review</a> By <a href="https://publicdomainreview.org/contributors/#sharon-ruston">Sharon Ruston</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.howitworksdaily.com/what-are-life-preserving-coffins/">What are life-preserving coffins? – How It Works</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0957154X16650100">Taphophobia and ‘life preserving coffins’ in the nineteenth century - Marco Cascella, 2016</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://digital.hagley.org/BS_08049076?solr_nav%5Bid%5D=97e5f61700134dde487d&amp;solr_nav%5Bpage%5D=0&amp;solr_nav%5Boffset%5D=4#modal-close">Life-preserving Coffin in Doubtful Cases of Death | Hagley Digital Archives</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Shelley">Mary Shelley - Wikipedia</a></li>
</ul>

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed.

Bizarre science history from academics with beers