Forensic Science

Forensic Science

Forensic science is a scientific method of gathering and examining

evidence. Crimes are solved with examinations such as gathering

fingerprints, palm prints, footprints, tooth bite prints, blood, hair

and fiber samples (assampolice, par. 1). Handwriting and

typewriting samples are also studied, including all ink, paper, and

the arrangement and appearance of printed matter. Studying of the

firing, flight, and effects of ammunition techniques are used to

identify weapons as well as voice identification techniques are used

to identify criminals (par. 3)

Italian, Fortunatus Fidelis, was the first person to practice modern

forensic medicine in 1598. Then, in the 19th century, observations led

to the discovery that contact between someone's hands and a surface

left barely visible marks called fingerprints. Fine powder (dusting)

was able to be used to make the marks more visible. Modern

fingerprint identification dates from 1880, when a British scientific

journal published letters by the Englishmen Henry Faulds, and William

James Herschel describing the uniqueness of fingerprints (bxscience,

par. 3) Observations were verified by the English scientist Sir

Francis Galton, who designed the first system for classifying

fingerprints based on grouping the patterns into arches, loops, and

whirls. His system was improved upon by a police man in London names

Sir Edward R. Henry. The Galton-Henry system of fingerprint

classification, was published in June 1900, and officially introduced

at the detective department of the police force of London in 1901. It

is the most widely used method of fingerprinting to date.

Tod...

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...ravel of the droplet

(bxscience, par. 7).

Cast off stains are a result of blunt force trauma (beating with an

object like a hammer). Pulling back from a blow produces a blood

spatter that can indicate direction, by creating an arc of blood

droplets. You can determine the number of blows to a victim by

counting the arcs. You can also determine the orientation of the

individuals involved, the size of the object used and the right or

left handedness of the assailant (bxscience, par. 8).

All the people must work together in a crime to pull it together and

find out who the perpitrator is. Since science and law has come such a

long way, it is often easier to find the guilty person or party. But

in the end, the fact is that the forensic scientists can figure out

who actually did it solve a crime once and for all.