History & Development of Forensic Science

1. History & Development of Forensic Science

2. When in Rome… • “Forensic” comes from the Latin word “forensis” meaning forum. • During the time of the Romans, a criminal charge meant presenting the case before the public. • Both the person accused of the crime & the accuser would give speeches based on their side of the story. • The individual with the best argumentation would determine the outcome of the case.

3. Important Events • 44BC – Antistius performs first autopsy on Ceasar • A Collection of Criminal Cases released • 700s AD - Chinese used fingerprints to establish identity of documents and clay sculptures • 1149 - King Richard of England created the job of the coroner to investigate questionable death • 1248 - Chinese book Hsi Duan Yu (The Washing Away of Wrongs) appears in 1248. The book distinguished drowning (water in the lungs) and strangulation (pressure marks on the throat and damaged cartilage in the neck) from death by natural causes. A murder in China is solved when flies were attracted to invisible blood residue on a sword of a man in the community

4. Where did forensic science start? • The first appearance of experts in the courtroom was documented around the end of the 18th century. • The emergence of modern chemistry around that period led to discoveries which were applicable to crime investigation and detection.

5. Developments in Forensic Science • 1670- Anton van Leeuwenhoek of Holland constructs the first high powered microscope • 1776- Paul Revere identified the body of General Joseph Warren based on the false teeth he had made for him • 1784- John Toms convicted of murder on basis of torn edge of wad of paper in pistol matching a piece of paper in his pocket • 1859- Gustav Kirchoff and Robert Bunsen developed the science of spectroscopy • 1864- Crime scene photography developed

6. Developments in Forensic Science • 1879- Bertillion system • 1887- First Sherlock Holmes story • 1893 - Hans Gross – published book called criminal investigation, first forensic science textbook that is wide spread • 1896- Edward Henry developed the first classification system for fingerprint identification (still used in some cases) • 1900- Karl Landsteiner identified human blood groups • 1904- Locard principle • 1922- Francis Aston developed the mass spectrometer • 1950 – American Academy of Forensic Sciences Founded

7. People of Historical Significance

8. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle • Sci-fi author in late 1800’s • Popularized scientific crime-detection methods through his fictional character ‘Sherlock Holmes’.

9. Mathieu Orfila(1787-1853) • “Father of Toxicology” • Published his book in 1813 • Wrote about the detection of poisons & their effects on animals because at the time poisoning was a preferred method of murder.

10. Alphonse Bertillon(1853-1914) • “Father of Anthropometry” - 1879 • Developed a system to distinguish one individual person from another based on certain body measurements.

11. Anthropometry • Disproven when two convicts with identical measurements and names are found in Leavenworth Prison. Instead they had to be Identified through fingerprints.

12. West Case

13. Francis Galton(1822-1911) • “Father of Fingerprinting” • Nephew of Charles Darwin • Developed fingerprinting as a way to uniquely identify individuals.

14. Leone Lattes (1887-1954) • Italian Scientist • 1915 devised a procedure by which dried bloodstains could be grouped as A, B, AB or O • His procedure is still used today by some forensic scientists

15. Calvin Goddard(1891-1955) • “Father of Ballistics” • Developed the technique to examine bullets, using a comparison microscope, to determine whether or not a particular gun fired the bullets.

16. Albert Osborn(1858-1946) • “Father of Document Examination” - 1910 • His work led to the acceptance of Questioned Documents as scientific evidence by the courts.

17. J. Edgar Hoover • “Father of the FBI” - Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation during the 1930’s • Hoover's leadership spanned 48 yrs & 8 presidential administrations. His reign covered Prohibition, the Great Depression, WWII, the Korean War, the Cold War, & the Vietnam War. • He organized a national laboratory to offer forensic services to all law enforcement agencies in the U.S.

18. Edmond Locard(1877-1966) • “Father of the Crime Lab” • In 1910, he started the 1st crime lab in an attic of a police station. • With few tools, he quickly became known world-wide to forensic scientists & criminal investigators & eventually founded the Institute of Criminalistics in France. • His most important contribution was the “Locard’sExchangePrinciple”

19. Locard’s Exchange Principle • “Every Contact Leaves a Trace.” • He believed that every criminal can be connected to a crime by particles carried from the crime scene. • When a criminal comes in contact with an object or person, a cross-transfer of evidence occurs.

20. Locard Principle in Action • You have 2 children and a cat. You run out to take care of some errands that include stopping at a furniture store, the laundry, and the house of a friend who has one child and a dog. From a forensic standpoint, this sequence of events can provide a gold mine of information. Discuss the following questions with your neighbor. What “traces” of you are left behind at each stop? What evidence of each stop do you take with you?

21. Applications of Forensic Science Today • Identification of Criminals or Victims • Solving Mysteries • Past crimes (unsolved or wrongfully convicted) • Cause, Location, Time of Death • Paternity cases • Cyber crimes • Corporate Crimes • Voice Analysis

22. Applications of Forensic Science Today • Application of DNA as evidence • Prevention vs. Reaction • Catastrophes & Wars • ID remains of victims (either civilian or soldiers) • ex. Holocaust or Katrina • Military & International Forensics • Terrorism • The search for WMD’s • stockpiled or stored weapons from past wars