“Taphophobia” is the irrational fear of being buried alive. At least, that’s today’s definition; however, the fear wasn’t so irrational in the past. It wasn’t until the 20th century that doctors started confirming that people were deceased before burials. This means that many unlucky souls lives ended when they were already six-feet-under. George Washington famously feared premature burial, asking his personal secretary to wait at least three days after his death to have him buried.
Alexander The Great is actually believed to have met his fate in a premature burial. It was recorded that six days after the king was pronounced dead, his body still showed no signs of decay. Since he was believed to be God-like by his subjects, people didn’t think much of it. Today however, it is theorized that he suffered from a rare disease that caused paralyzation to the point of breathing so shallow it was virtually indetectable. That’s why his loyal soldiers may not have noticed his respiration as they prepared his body to be buried…well, buried alive.
Another famous live burial is the story of Countess Emma of Edgcumbe. Today we understand that she suffered from narcolepsy and as she rested in a coma-like sleep, her family came to the conclusion that she was dead. After her burial, The Countess was lucky enough to have been exhumed by a grave robber who was after a ring on her not-so-lifeless finger. After scaring the living daylights out of the thief, she walked a short distance to her family’s estate. The trail from her grave to her unsuspecting family is now called the “Countess’s Path.”
In Victorian times, the widespread fear of premature burial led to several prevention strategies. Waiting mortuaries held those believed to be deceased until signs of decomposition confirmed their death. Doctors would manipulate the tongue of potential corpses with lemon, sour vinegar or alcohol, sometimes even pulling on the tongue. As uncomfortable as that sounds, it was much better than the doctors using pain in an attempt to awaken a corpse, cutting off fingers, burning skin, etc. And if the other methods weren’t enough, you could purchase a contraption called a “safety coffin,” invented to save the life of a person who found themselves buried. According to The History Collection “[M]any safety coffins included comfortable cotton padding, feeding tubes, intricate systems of cords attached to bells, and escape hatches.”
Dying is a scary thought that most people avoid dwelling on. It seems crazy to fear NOT dying but I guess we are all just lucky to have been born in a time where if you want to take a little nap, you don’t have to worry about waking up in a coffin.