people get an adrenaline rush of fear when they think about it. Could you ever imagine the feeling of being buried alive? What could you do or how would you react? Conceive the idea of being stuck alive in a hole, deep in the dark ground, without a soul in the world knowing. It seems like this can be scary due to the lack of control over the situation. This extreme possibility or fear that one might dwell on can lead many people to struggle with phobic tendencies. This specific phobia is called Tafephobia. One of the most widespread aversions of the nineteenth century was Taphephobia. It's been a primal fear for as long as the human race has existed, deeply rooted in our instincts. This medical term comes from the Greek “taphos” meaning “grave” and “phobia” meaning “fear” – fear of a grave or of being placed in a grave while still alive. Death from premature burial is caused by several reasons, such as asphyxia, dehydration, starvation or hypothermia. Throughout history there have been a variety of tests to indicate that a person is declared dead before burial. Before medical science, people waited to bury a person for days or even weeks, just to make sure they were dead. Nowadays, doctors can usually determine when the fullness of death is certain through brain death. “Doctors should wait at least 24 hours after an electroencephalogram (EEG) shows no brain activity, then check again. If the second EEG is as flat as the first, the doctor can then assume that, even if the machines maintain the patient's breathing, his brain, and therefore the patient, is dead." (Time Magazine 9) Before the nineteenth century, people were so terrified of being buried alive that they often included the...... middle of paper ......7 in their homes. Once his corpse had decomposed, his ashes were buried next to those of his wife, in the family tomb. Works Cited “Fear of Being Buried Alive.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, March 15, 2011. Web. September 14, 2011. "IDEAS EXPLORED WITH MAGIC-EYE." MAGIC EYE. Network. 14 September 2011. .Mcphee, Isaac M. "Tafephobia: The Fear of Being Buried Alive | Suite101.com." Isaac M. McPhee | Suite101.com. February 3, 2008. Web. September 14, 2011. "Medicine: Defining Death - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Videos, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time magazine. Network. 14 September. 2011. .

Topic > people get an adrenaline rush of fear when they think about it. Could you ever imagine the feeling of being buried alive? What could you do or how would you react? Conceive the idea of being stuck alive in a hole, deep in the dark ground, without a soul in the world knowing. It seems like this can be scary due to the lack of control over the situation. This extreme possibility or fear that one might dwell on can lead many people to struggle with phobic tendencies. This specific phobia is called Tafephobia. One of the most widespread aversions of the nineteenth century was Taphephobia. It's been a primal fear for as long as the human race has existed, deeply rooted in our instincts. This medical term comes from the Greek “taphos” meaning “grave” and “phobia” meaning “fear” – fear of a grave or of being placed in a grave while still alive. Death from premature burial is caused by several reasons, such as asphyxia, dehydration, starvation or hypothermia. Throughout history there have been a variety of tests to indicate that a person is declared dead before burial. Before medical science, people waited to bury a person for days or even weeks, just to make sure they were dead. Nowadays, doctors can usually determine when the fullness of death is certain through brain death. “Doctors should wait at least 24 hours after an electroencephalogram (EEG) shows no brain activity, then check again. If the second EEG is as flat as the first, the doctor can then assume that, even if the machines maintain the patient's breathing, his brain, and therefore the patient, is dead." (Time Magazine 9) Before the nineteenth century, people were so terrified of being buried alive that they often included the...... middle of paper ......7 in their homes. Once his corpse had decomposed, his ashes were buried next to those of his wife, in the family tomb. Works Cited “Fear of Being Buried Alive.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, March 15, 2011. Web. September 14, 2011. "IDEAS EXPLORED WITH MAGIC-EYE." MAGIC EYE. Network. 14 September 2011. .Mcphee, Isaac M. "Tafephobia: The Fear of Being Buried Alive | Suite101.com." Isaac M. McPhee | Suite101.com. February 3, 2008. Web. September 14, 2011. "Medicine: Defining Death - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Videos, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Time magazine. Network. 14 September. 2011. .