B: EVERYTHING CRIME, A-Z

Buried Alive


Taphophobia - The fear of being being buried alive. (More on phobias when we get to "P")


This is not a new fear by any means, indeed, it seems to go way back to Biblical times. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, it was common for dead bodies to be wrapped up and buried in caves. Days later, someone would go to check to see if they were alive (and occasionally they were).

Back through history, the way of determining if a person was dead or alive was not very precise. Diseases like typhoid which caused the pulse to be very weak led to some premature burials.

In Ancient Rome, mourners waited eight days to bury the body to give ample chance for the corpse to wake up. Bodies were laid out at home and not buried immediately so the family could see if the body decayed.

In 19^th century Germany, there were ‘waiting mortuaries’ where corpses were incubated until they were putrid which was a sure sign of really being dead.

Grave protectors and alarms have been patented since the 1800’s.

The security coffin (1868 patent) which included a rope, ladder and bell.

Device for indicating Life in Buried Persons (1887 patent) An air pipe that could be opened for an emergency airway if movement was detected in the coffin.

The easy-opener (1907 patent) so the presumed dead wouldn’t struggle trying to lift a heavy coffin lid.

 The fear of being buried alive might have diminished, but designs for coffins and instruments that claim to prevent premature burial have been submitted to the patent office as recently as 2013.

At the rate technology is advancing, it’s simply a matter of time before ‘smart caskets’ are invented. “Hey Google, get me out of this coffin.”