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father of forensic science

father of forensic science

father of forensic science

Hello dear readers. In this post on Solsarin we are going to talk about ”father of forensic science “. Continue reading to find the answer.please write your comment, Thank you for your attention.

father of forensic science
father of forensic science

 

 

The importance of forensic science is primarily associated with crime and crime scene investigations. However, have you ever wondered what the history of forensic science is? How did it start? When were forensic techniques first used? Who were the early forensic scientists?

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “forensic investigator”?

Doesn’t your brain immediately conjure up the impassive, dapper character sporting aviators and donning latex gloves?

You instantly start picturizing high-tech computers, UV lights, and criminal labs furnished with high-end equipment. Well, that is the image that the modern day crimes shows have created of a forensic investigator.

Interested to know the importance of forensic science over the ages? We have the answers right here.

Presenting the brief history of forensic science.

Tracing the Roots of the Importance of Forensic Science in Ancient Times

The history of forensic science awaits exploration as forensic science as a discipline was not much spoken about until recently. On increasing the cognizance of the subtle importance of forensic science in the past, one cannot but amp up the reverence for this field of science.

The word forensic has its origin from the Latin word “forensis” which stands for a forum.

Forensic Science is basically used in tandem with any discipline that has associations with the legal system. In a nutshell, forensic science is the application of scientific methods and principles to questions of law.

Or, in layman’s terms, forensic science is a discipline used by a forensic investigator to solve crimes.

 

The Building Blocks in the History of Forensic Science – The Origin

Forensic science as a part of the modern-day criminal justice system is still in its formative years. Interestingly, the importance of forensic science dates back to some of the ancient civilizations.

The earliest application of forensic science dates back to the ancient Greek and Roman societies.

Those civilizations made significant contributions to the field of medicine, especially pharmacology. Their research on the production, use, and symptoms of toxins made the study of their use in past murders possible.

History of Autopsy

Familiar with the word “mummification”?

Did you know that the Egyptian civilization back in 3000 BC performed the first instance of an ‘autopsy’? They performed the religious practice of the removal and examination of the internal organs of humans after their death. Thus, they are the earliest civilization to perform an autopsy.

Interestingly, the first officially recorded autopsy was performed way back in 44 BC!

This was when a Roman physician, Antistius, examined the slain body of Roman politician and general, Julius Ceaser. The autopsy revealed that though stabbed 23 times, his death actually resulted from one wound through this chest.

father of forensic science
father of forensic science

Importance of Forensic Science in the Early Roman Dynasty

Early in the 1st century AD, Roman orator and jurist Quintilian used basic forensics to acquit an innocent.

The Roman model forms the foundation of the modern day court and legal system. Thus, the application of scientific principles in the examination of evidence in ancient Rome is not surprising. However, with the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the applications of forensic science in criminal justice stagnated over the next millennium.

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The Origin of Pathology

Ever wondered what was the very first guide to pathology? The book Xi Yuan Lu (The Washing Away of Wrongs) published in the 13th century in China by Song Ci.

Xi Yuan Lu is the first written testimony of the use of medicine and entomology to solve crimes. This book is one of the earliest available literature to help determine the cause of death.

The book explained how to distinguish an accidental death from a murder by examining the weapon used to cause death. It threw light upon important topics such as:

 

  • How to calculate the time of death based on the weather and insects? and
  • How to wash a dead body for examination?

The Early Methods of Forensic Examination used by a Forensic Investigator

One of Song Ci’s account in his book talks about the basic methods used to crack a murder case.

First, the investigator tested various blades on an animal carcass and compared the wound to the actual one. This helped him deduce that the weapon used to commit the murder was a sickle.

Next, he asked every resident of the crime area to bring their sickles to one location. Eventually, the murderer confessed when the smell of blood caused flies to gather on his sickle.

The book also provided methods and logic to estimate if a death resulted from suicide, accident or murder.

Earliest Application of the Lie Detector or Polygraph Test by a Forensic Investigator

The earliest precursor to the Polygraph test was the examination of the saliva, mouth, and tongue of a suspect to deduce innocence or guilt.

For example, in ancient India, the suspect’s mouth was filled with some dry rice and in China with rice powder. They were then asked to spit it out.

In some middle-eastern cultures, the accused would have to lick heated metal rods briefly.

The principle used for these methods was that a guilty person would produce less saliva. Thus, if rice got stuck in their mouths or if their tongues got severely burnt, they were pronounced guilty.

The Glorious 16th & 17th Centuries in the History of Forensic Science

In 16th century Europe, the gathering of information on the cause and manner of death was first initiated by medical practitioners. A French army surgeon, Ambroise Paré, methodically studied the effect that violent death has on internal organs.

Italian surgeons, Fortunato Fidelis and Paolo Zacchia laid the foundation of modern pathology. They achieved this through a study of the changes occurring in the structure of the body due to a disease.

father of forensic science
father of forensic science

With the dawn of the 17th century, the importance of forensic science received a boost resulting due to the other advancements in science.

Modern Forensic Science Techniques Start Taking Shape

The forthcoming centuries witnessed a resurrection of forensic science with an increase in the application of science in solving crimes.

Techniques such as matching evidence like clothing fibers and footprints to those found on a suspect starting gaining popularity. Gradually, criminal investigations started revolving more around evidence-based and rational approaches.

Soon, the validity of confessions under duress and belief in occult practices such as witchcraft started diminishing in the courts.

Eventually, development of the technique of fingerprint analysis took place in 1880.

Fingerprint Analysis – A major milestone in the History of Forensic Science

The technique of fingerprint analysis to link incidents to suspects was a major breakthrough in the forensic landscape in 1880.

Fingerprint analysis resulted from the groundbreaking theory established by Henry Faulds and William James Herschel from the uniqueness of fingerprints. This study received a huge support from experts all over the world and was later accepted as a crucial evidence in the legal system.

The ancient Chinese used fingerprint analysis for the identification of business documents.

It was Francis Galton and Edward Henry who actually implemented Herschel’s fingerprinting practices in criminal investigations. Sir Francis Galton started the first system for classifying fingerprints.

Sir Edward Henry, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police of London, used the direction, flow, pattern and other characteristics in fingerprints to develop his own system of fingerprint analysis.

Now, the Henry Classification System is the standard for criminal fingerprint analysis techniques worldwide.

Evolution of the Importance of Forensic Science Through the Ages

Two famous examples of the use of forensic science in the 18th and 19th century are worth a mention. These clearly showcase the use of logic and scientific procedures by forensic investigators during that period for criminal investigations.

First, the conviction of John Toms in Lancaster for the murder of Edward Culshaw with a pistol.

The crucial clue which was a turning point in this investigation was the perfect matching of a pistol wad. This was found from the dead body of Culshaw along with a torn newspaper recovered from Toms’s pocket.

The second was the trial and conviction of Warwick, a farm laborer, in 1816. Police retrieved and analyzed the footprints and cloth impressions that he left on the damp soil of the crime scene. A matching of the impressions in the earth near the pool where a young maidservant was drowned confirmed his role in her murder.

Forensic Ballistics – The Foundation

Scotland Yard’s Henry Goddard became the first in 1835 to connect a bullet to a murder weapon using physical analysis.

Gradually in the 1920s, bullet examination became more precise when American physician Calvin Goddard created the comparison microscope. This helped in drawing a crucial relationship between bullets and the shell casings from which they were fired.

Later, in the 1970s, scientists at the Aerospace Corporation, California, developed the method of detecting gunshot residue using scanning electron microscopes.

 

The Unfortunate Story of Henry Faulds: The Father of Forensic Fingerprinting who Died On This Day, Unacknowledged

He  studied the fingerprints of infants and children to check if growth affected their fingertip patterns. When an epidemic of scarlet fever swept through Japan, causing severe peeling of the skin, Faulds found no before-and-after change.

After conducting several experiments and examining a significant collection of fingerprints, Henry Faulds came to the conclusion that each person has a unique fingerprint.

father of forensic science

In 1850, attempting to promote the idea of fingerprint identification, Faulds sought the help of the noted naturalist Charles Darwin. Darwin, in advanced age and ill health, informed Faulds that he could be of no assistance to him but promised to pass the materials on to his cousin, Francis Galton, who forwarded it to the Anthropological Society of London. When Galton returned to the topic some eight years later, he paid little attention to Faulds’ letter.

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