taphophobia
Sign in to savethumb|Inventors addressed the fear of being buried alive with safety coffins. Taphophobia (from Greek τάφος – taphos, "grave, tomb" and φόβος – phobos, "fear") is an abnormal (psychopathological) phobia of being buried alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead.
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thumb|Inventors addressed the fear of being buried alive with safety coffins. Taphophobia (from Greek τάφος – taphos, "grave, tomb" and φόβος – phobos, "fear") is an abnormal (psychopathological) phobia of being buried alive as a result of being incorrectly pronounced dead.
Before the era of modern medicine, the fear was not entirely irrational. Throughout history, there have been numerous cases of people being buried alive by accident. In 1905, the English reformer William Tebb collected accounts of premature burial. He found 219 cases of near live burial, 149 actual live burials, 10 cases of live dissection and 2 cases of awakening while being embalmed.