Criminal forensics also known as forensic science or to some, especially the couch potatoes, as “the stuff that happens on CSI,” has been a developing science for much longer than most people imagine.
In fact, it is quite amazing to look at this neat timeline (or crimeline) where the history of forensic science is plotted in such a simple graphic way.
The Earliest Fingerprint Evidence
The earliest fingerprint evidence is in rock paintings, daubed onto rocks by prehistoric people. These hand prints were found in Nova Scotia, Canada. However, it is highly unlikely that this was a crime scene.
It seems that the earliest account of fingerprint use to establish identity was during the 7th century.
According to an Arab merchant, a debtor's fingerprints were affixed to a bill, which would then be given to the lender. This bill was legally recognized as proof of the validity of the debt.
Great Progress in Criminal Forensics
The 1700 and 1800’s saw great progress in criminal forensics across the Europe, especially in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Some milestones were:
- 1784. In Lancaster, England, John Toms was convicted of murder. The torn paper from his pistol wadding recovered from his victims head wound matched a remaining piece in his pocket. This was one of the first documented uses of physical matching.
- 1835. Henry Goddard, one of Scotland Yard's original Bow Street Runners, first used bullet comparison to catch a murderer. He traced the bullet back to the mold.
- 1863. The German scientist, Schönbein first discovered first presumptive test for blood when he realized the ability of hemoglobin to oxidize hydrogen peroxide creating foam.
- 1880. Henry Faulds, a Scottish physician working in Tokyo, used fingerprints to eliminate an innocent suspect and indicate a perpetrator in a Tokyo burglary.
- 1892. Sir Francis Galton published the first classification of fingerprints.
- 1894. Alfred Dreyfus of France was convicted of treason based on a mistaken handwriting identification by Bertillon.
The Dawn of Modern Forensic Science
1901 was a big year – in a way it was the dawn of modern forensic science. Karl Landsteiner, an Austrian pathologist, developed the modern system of classification of blood groups.
Locard’s Exchange Principle
In 1918 Edmond Locard, director of the very first ever crime laboratory in Lyon, France laid down done of the most important rules of evidence collection that is still the mantra of crime scene technicians today. Locard's Exchange Principle states that with contact between two items, there will always be an exchange. This is the basis of trace evidence collection at a crime scene.
DNA Evidence
1986. DNA evidence is used for the first time in connection with a crime by Sir Alec Jeffreys who developed the first DNA profiling test. Colin Pitchfork was convicted of murdering two girls in the Midlands in the UK.
DNA profiling was introduced for the first time in a U.S. criminal court in 1987. Based on RFLP analysis, Tommy Lee Andrews was convicted of a series of sexual assaults in Orlando, Florida. By 1998, the FBI had introduced a DNA database.
Since then, there have been many refinements in DNA techniques and systems different types of DNA have emerged like MtDNA and so called Touch DNA.
History of Forensic Science
The history of criminal forensic over the past 23 years has mainly been improvements in the ITC area especially in software, storage, and image recognition software. Today, forensic science is used in the investigation of every major crime.
Sources:
Timeline crimeZZZ.net crimeline * history of forensic science
Karen Lotter - Karen Lotter is a journalist and writer based in Durban, South Africa. She has written profiles, features, advertising copy, ...
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