Chapter 1 History of Fingerprints
Chapter 1 History of Fingerprints
HISTORY OF
FINGERPRINTS
Historical background
Bertillon System
Origin of Fingerprint
Fingerprint Events in the Philippines
FORENSIC PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES MODULE
CHAPTER 1:
HISTORY OF FINGERPRINTS
Objectives:
Develop understanding of the history in Personal
Identification.
History of Fingerprints
The formal study began as early as 1686 but has finally gained official use in
1858 by Sir William James Herschel, a British chief administrative officer in Hoogly
District of Bengal, India. Herschel used fingerprints in India to prevent the fraudulent
collection of army pay accounts and for identity on other documents.
In 1880 two major developments were achieved that ushered to a more holistic
acceptance of fingerprint use. Dr. Henry Faulds, an English doctor based in Japan.
Wrote to publication Nature on the practical use of fingerprints for the identification of
criminals. His argument was supported by his studies and successful experiments on
the permanency of one's fingerprint, After Faulds s breakthrough, Sir Francis Galton, a
noted British anthropologist, and scientist Charles Darwin's cousin devised the first
Scientific method of classifying fingerprints patterns.
It was in 1882 when the first authentic record of official use of fingerprints was
noted in the USA.
As early as the start of the 20 century, fingerprint use in criminal investigation has
gained widespread acceptance across the USA and was adopted in use by the different
branches of the United States Armed Forces. The use of fingerprint since then had
begun to take its toll. The United States has fostered the fingerprint development to its
most intricate system.
1. Tattoo Marks
2. Scar Marks
3. Anthropometry - The first scientific method of identification done by measuring
various bony structures of the human body devised by Alphonse Bertillon.
In 1888, Bertillon was made Chief of the newly created Department of identity in Paris,
where he used anthropometry as the main means of identification. He later introduced
fingerprints But relegated them to a secondary role in the category of special marks.
Bertillon was involved in the first recorded case of a conviction using fingerprints in
Paris in 1902 but still maintained that anthropometry was the superior system.
In 1903, Bertillon System never recovered, when a man named Will West was
sentenced to the U.s Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. There was already a
prisoner at the penitentiary at the time whose Bertillon measurements were, nearly
exact, and his name was William West.
Upon investigation, there were indeed two men. They looked exactly alike but were
allegedly not related. Their names were Will and William West respectively. Their
Bertillon measurements were close to identify them as the same person. However, a
fingerprint comparison quickly identified them as two different people. The west men, it
was later discovered were identical twin brothers.
Origin of Fingerprints
Chinese
first Chinese ruler who devised a seal carved from white jade; on one side of it
was the name of the owner, and on the other side the thumb mark of the destitute.
(GRANDFATHER OF DACTYLOSCOPY)
An Italian Anatomist, who published his work "De Externo Tactus organo"
depicting the construction of the layers of the human skin. He described the ridges
found on the palmar surface of the hand which course in diverse and designs and the
pores which served as the mouth of the sweat glands.
He was noted for the discovery of the inner and outer structure of the skin
His book included detailed drawings of patterns and friction skin. He wrote:
He was the first to state that the prints of two different persons are never alike.
(FATHER OF CHIROSCOPY)
The idea was mere, to "frighten him out of all thought of repudiating his
signature”. The native was suitably impressed, and Herschel made a habit of requiring
palm prints, and later, simply the prince of the right index and middle fingers on every
contract made with the locals. Personal contact with the document, they believed, made
the contract more binding than if they simply signed it. Thus, the first wide-Scale,
modern-day use of fingerprints was started, not upon scientific evidence, but on
superstitious beliefs.
He is also credited with the first fingerprint identification of a greasy fingerprint left
on an alcohol bottle.
In the late 1800 s, Kollmann of Hamburg Germany was the first researcher to
address the formation of friction ridges on the fetus and the random physical stresses
and tensions which may have played a part in their growth.
"That fingerprints do not change throughout an individual's lifetime, and that no two
fingerprints are the same".
According to his calculations, the odds of two individual fingerprints being the
same were 1 in 64 billion. Galton identified the characteristics by which fingerprints can
be identified. These same characteristics (minutiae) are still in use today and are often
referred to as Galton's details.
He was able to discover the three families of fingerprint patterns Arch, Loop &
Whorl. He is also credited for being the first scientist of friction skin identification who
established the first Civil Bureau of Personal Identification in London, England.
(FATHER OF FINGERPRINTS)
Around the same time, Henry became interested in the work of Galton and others
concerning the use o fingerprints to identify Criminals. Henry and Galton exchanged
regular letters During 1894 discussing the merits of fingerprints.
In January 1896, Henry Issued an order to the Bengali Police that criminal record
forms should not only display prisoner's anthropometric measurements but also the
prisoner/s rolled fingerprint impressions.
With the assistance of Azizul Hague and Hem Chandra Bose, Edward Henry
devised his classification system between July 1896 and February 1897. The Henry
fingerprint system enabled fingerprints to be easily 1iled, searched, and traced against
thousands of others. The simple system found worldwide acceptance within a few
years.
NEHEMIAH GREW
published a report before the Royal Society of London England describing the
ridges and the pores of the hands and feet.
GOVARD BIDLOO
MARY K. HOLLAND
(FATHER OF POROSCOPY)
Locard studies and investigated identification using the position and variation of
pores as unique ridge characteristics. He presented evidence of identification in one
case at Court using poroscopy, even though the impression already contained many
characteristics in agreement.
1. Mr. Jones - one who first taught fingerprint in the Philippine Constabulary in the
Year 1900.
2. Bureau of Prison - records show that in 1918, CARPETAS (Commitment and
Conviction Records) already used fingerprint.
3. Lt. Asa and N. Darby - established modern and complete fingerprint files for
Philippine Commonwealth during the reoccupation of the Philippines by the
American Forces.
4. Generoso Reyes - First Filipino Fingerprint Technician employed by the
Philippine Constabulary.
5. Isabela Bernales - first female Filipino Fingerprint Technician
6. Capt. Thomas Dugan - New York Police Department and Flaviano Guerrero,
FBI Washing ton gave the first examination in fingerprinting in 1927 and Agustin
Patricia of the Philippines, top the examination.
7. People of the Philippines vs. Medina - a first conviction based on fingerprint
leading judicial decision in the Philippine Jurisprudence.
8. Plaridel Education Institution - now known as the Philippine College of
Criminology, the first government recognized school to teach the Science of
Fingerprint and other Police Sciences.
9. The First National Bureau of Identification (1924) was created by the act of
Congress. The bureau was established with the U.S. DOJ (Washington D.C.)
References:
Handbook on Fingerprint by Prof. Veneranda Poschor – Depayso, MSCrim, printed by
Wiseman’s Books Trading, Quezon City, 2000
.