The historical anxiety about premature burial was formalized in the nineteenth century through the establishment of organizations specifically dedicated to the problem.

These societies — sometimes called taphophile societies, from the Greek taphos (burial) — collected and published case reports, advocated for legal and medical reforms, and kept the public attention on what they argued was a genuine and underaddressed risk.

The most prominent of these organizations was the London Association for the Prevention of Premature Burial, founded in 1896, which published statistics and case studies arguing that the incidence of premature burial was significantly higher than official sources acknowledged.

The association advocated for waiting periods before burial, for the establishment of observation facilities for potentially deceased persons, and for the development of more rigorous medical examination protocols.