Karal Marx L By

CHENNAI: An infant boy, who developed Spontaneous Human Combustion at T Parangini village near Tindivanam, is undergoing treatment at the neonatal ICU ward at the Mundiyambakkam GH.

The boy’s mother Rajeshwari, who noticed that the baby’s feet were on ablaze, rushed the baby to the Mozhiyanur PHC with the help of villagers, and from there the baby was shifted to the Mundiyambakkam GH.

When contacted, Usha Sadhasivan, dean of Mundiyambakkam Government Medical College and Hospital said, “The baby apparently experienced 10 per cent burns on his two feet. As each time the baby experienced the condition in the presence of his mother, we have sent the mother for a detailed diagnosis at the KMC Hospital in Chennai, after completing the initial treatment here.”

A special medical team was deployed at the NICU ward to watch over the baby’s movements and ascertain how the newborn could burn by itself, she added.

On inquiring about the condition of the baby, the dean said, “The baby is recovering from burns and there is nothing to worry about.” But how the baby could develop the syndrome is still a mystery and doctors are wringing their hands to prove the condition medically.