In 1686, the Italian professor of anatomy at the university of Bologna Marcello Malpighi was the first to notice some distinction between the fingerprints. In 1823, the Czech physiologist, Johannes Evangelista Purkinje was the first which used a classification system for fingerprints. Then William Herschel began to use fingerprints in his role as Chief Magistrate in 1958. In 1877, he imposed the fingerprints as authentication authorities. In 1880, he wrote an article “skin furrow of the hand”, where he sanctioned the use of fingerprints as a method of signature and identification. In the same year, the individuality of fingerprints was suggested for the first time scientifically by Henry Fauld.
In quadrants 1 and 2 how the amount and constituents of the fingerprint residue on the substrate affects the fingerprint image, is determined. In quadrant 1, excess sebum and moisture is first removed from the finger tips with the help of a clean cloth. In quadrant 2, fingertip is first wiped around the nose or forehead to create excess sebum. Quadrant 3 and 4 were used to compare the details between untreated and dusted fingerprint residues.
After Galton’s discovery, the use of fingerprinting by law enforcement was inevitable. In 1892, an Argentine police official, Juan Vucetich, became the first person to identify a criminal through fingerprints (The History of Fingerprints). The last major step necessary for the widespread use of fingerprint identification was to create a classification system that simplified the process of matching fingerprints. That came in 1901, when Edward Henry devised a system that separated fingerprints into four different categories - loops, whorls, arches, and composites (Skopitz). Shortly after its development, most European nations implemented this system of
Ans. Fingerprints were used since 18th century as a mode of identification from one individual to another. Many famous scientists were involved in early development of the same. Following are some of them.
1. Which of the three types of fingerprints was the fingerprint that you examined (loop, arch, or whorl)? Within that print, what minutiae did you see?
Though Hershel, Faulds, Galton and others set the stage in methods to indicate fingerprints should have been used for identification there was still controversy around the science. With the advances of technology, we now have a better understanding of why fingerprints have only been identified to a single individual. They are unique and permanent. Embryology finds six weeks in utero formations of early notching for what will become fingers starts. By week seven, webbing of the finger is almost gone and volar pads start to form. During week ten through twelve, initial formation of epidermal ridges begin. Primary ridges begin at the apex of the volar pads, tip of the finger and just above the first joint. Secondary ridges start to form by week sixteen and stop the formation of primary ridges. By twenty-four weeks ridge formation has completely finished. For over one hundred years friction ridge impressions have been only known to relate back to only one source thus resulting its broad usage in law enforcement, banking, government buildings for identification purposes and etc.
Criminalistics: Forensic Science, Crime, and Terrorism is a wide-ranging book written by James E. Girard (2011). This book depicts much information about Forensic Science. However, the chapters of this book are designed to specify accurate information in favor of Forensic Science and it’s different aspects. The chapter 6, I have chosen can be supportive to my research question. ‘How does classification system of fingerprint identification work?’
Fingerprints have been used as a biometric measure for more than a century. It is one of the most well known and highly publicized techniques used to identify suspects in a crime. The fingerprint techniques identification has advanced from ink pads and paper to electronic recognition. Most techniques have become a wide accepted and reliable forms of biometrics. With the advancement in computer technology and chemical reagents, a fingerprint can be obtained from a burned corpse or a decomposed body. In the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s case, the fingerprint from gathered from the crime scene could only be verified by the ridges characteristic pattern of the finger. In the 1960's, The National Crime Information Center was a computerized filing
DNA fingerprinting was discovered by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys from the University of Leicster. After spending time studying molecular biology in Amsterdam with Dick Flavell, Jeffreys moved to the university and set out to “marry the new
The introduction of the modern use of fingerprinting all started in 1984, when a British geneticist named Alec Jeffreys came across new methods for DNA fingerprinting (Jones, 2012). Since his discovery, this technique has been used successfully to identify perpetrators of crimes. For more than a century in fact, fingerprints have been used as identification tools by law enforcement. Known as “friction ridge analysis,” (Jones, 2012), this forensic method comprises of examiners comparing details of an unknown print against known prints. These details are analyzed
All over the world and as far as many people can remember, fingerprints have been used as a symbol of truth and justice in the forensics domain. The art of fingerprinting has been seen as a closure to many major crimes that have put many people in prison. However, in his article “Do Fingerprints Lie?” Michael Specter examines that fingerprinting has given rise to many questions as of the late 20th century. Fingerprints have been taken for granted, almost like money, which in this century, people believe is the best item to be handed to us. People tend to take what they hear, and just go with it without research or background knowledge. This practice has not been challenged as many concepts should. Specter brings in a solid argument with a lot of knowledge to support his claims and factual evidence to set his article with high credibility. While Specter builds a strong argument, he fails to consider how fingerprints have improved the forensic process.
From the early days, with little literary reference material, to the current day, with substantially more, but still insufficient formation, the science of fingerprint identification has managed to maintain its credibility and usefulness. Although, academic institutions have yet to recognize the field as an applied science and include it in the curricula, which would provide directed research and literary reference, in libraries. Without this academic recognition, progress in the field of fingerprint is destined to be sluggish. Description of fingerprint identification as a forensic science’ or an ~app1ied science’ in no way implies that is not a reliable science.
In addition, these ridge patterns or also known as the fingerprints produce essential function to our body where these fingerprints allow human beings to have better grip in our daily lives(Champod et al, 2016. pg.1). Consequently, the fingerprint’s unique characteristics have also provided significant functionality to the police agencies in terms of the identifications and individualization. According to the Hawthorme and (Textbook), forensic scientists have established three fundamental principals to fingerprinting throughout the long period of studies which include every finer contains ridge detail which is unique to that finger and no other(no two fingerprints are identical), a fingerprint remains unchanged throughout life, there are general ridge patterns on the fingerprints that can be systematically classified and therefore can be filled and searched(Textbook). These unique aspects or principals of the fingerprints are allowing the police agencies to conduct the criminal investigations and individualizations more efficiently. Even though our recent development in the technology and scientific knowledges have enhanced the usability of the fingerprints in the criminal investigation, the concept of the fingerprint as a individualization is not a newly developed
“Fingerprint recognition is one of the divorce inference using the impressions made by the minute ridge formations or patterns found on the fingertips. No two people have exactly the same arrangement of the ridge patterns, and the remaining patterns of any one individual unchanged. Fingerprints infallible provide a means of personal identification. Other personal characteristics may change, but not fingerprints”. (1)
Fingerprints are formed during the first, third to fourth months of fetal development. While growing (in the womb) the fingerprint and the ridges will expand. A fingerprint stays the same from when
Every time somebody touches something, they leave behind a unique signature that forever links them to that object. This link is their fingerprints, which are unique to every person, for no two people have the same set, not even family members or identical twins. Palms and toes also leave prints behind, but these are far less commonly found during crime scene investigations. Therefore, fingerprints provide an identification process that is applicable to background checks, biometric security, mass disaster identification, and most importantly, crime scene investigations. Fingerprints are so differentiated because they are made up of distinct patterns of ridges and furrows on the fingers. The ridges are the “raised” portions of the prints, and the furrows are the “recessed” portions. This perceived uniqueness has led some people to falsely accept fingerprint analysis as absolute scientific fact. Although overall fingerprints are reliable, there are definitely situations where their accuracy can come into question.