Essay: The History of Fingerprints

30 January 2019
College Credit Forensics
The History of Fingerprints
Fingerprints, surprisingly, have been hinted around since the 15th century in many different places. According to “The History of Fingerprints” handout, “Pre-historic picture writing of a hand with ridge patterns was discovered in Nova Scotia. In ancient Babylon, fingerprints were used on clay tablets for business transactions, and in ancient China, thumb prints were found on clay seals. Even in early 14th century Persia, various official government papers had fingerprints, and one government official, a doctor, observed that no two fingerprints were exactly alike.” Each one of these occurrences were the first few representations of what fingerprinting would become.
Eventually, we would see many different people that would contribute greatly to fingerprinting and the different ways we collect prints. One of the first people noted that started ways of distinction for fingerprints was Marcello Malpighi. According to “The History of Fingerprints” handout, in 1686 “Marcello, a professor of anatomy, noted in his treaties; ridges, spirals and loops in fingerprints.” To recognize his discovery, Malpighi would get a skin layer named after himself which was around 2 mm thick. Another important man that created a system of fingerprinting was Sir William Herschel. Sir William Herschel was a British Administrator in District India. Crime Scene Forensics LLC noted that “Herschel used and required fingerprints as a type of signature on civil contracts.” “He first started using fingerprints in July of 1858, the idea was merely to frighten the locals and made a realization that inked impressions could, indeed, prove or disprove identity” (The History of Fingerprints handout). Another man who created a fingerprint system was Dr. Henry Faulds, a British surgeon- superintendent of Tsukiji Hospital in Tokyo, Japan (Moore, onin.com). Dr. Faulds, “after noticing finger marks on specimens of specimens of “prehistoric” pottery, devised a method of classification. He published an article in the Scientific Journal, “Nature” discussing fingerprints as a means of personal identification, and the use of prints ink as a method for obtaining such fingerprints” (Moore, onin.com). Another interesting fact is that Faulds is credited with the “first fingerprint identification of a greasy fingerprint left on an alcohol bottle”, according to historic fingerprint expert Greg Moore. Next, maybe the most important person in the history of fingerprinting is Mr. Alphonse Bertillon. Bertillon “devised a system of classification, known as anthropometry or the Bertillon System, using measurements of parts of the body. Bertillon’s system included measurements such as head length, head width, length of the left foot, and length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. Bertillon also established what became known a system of photographing faces – what became known as mugshots” (Moore onin.com).
There are 8 different types of fingerprints that we classify everyone under, even though each and every person have different finger prints. These 8 types are put into three different categories: loops, arches, and whorls. The different loops include the Radial and Ulnar, but also differ with each hand. The way you tell the two loops apart is by finding out with bone the loop points towards, the ulnar and radial bone. Next, the different arches are the plain and tented arch. Plain arches arch normally, while tented arches arch with a delta in the middle (a delta is a triangle looking shape). Lastly, whorls have 4 different types which are Plain whorls, Central loops, Double loops, and Accidental. Plain whorls are centered whorls with two deltas while central loops are angled whorls with only one delta. Double loops are classified as a whorl because the two loops create a sort of loopy look, because there is no ending to the loops. Also, the accidental print is listed under whorl because it can have all parts of each pattern, but is still classified under whorl. The different prints data was all taken from the handouts given in class.
When fingerprinting and collecting prints, many experts have to determine if certain prints “count”. The way they do this is by using minutia lines in the print to determine different patterns, which helps to classify the type of print and the individuality of the print. Now, depending on the print, you might need 5 minutia lines or 20 to determine the individualism of the print. There is no specific number when using prints as evidence. Also, each person’s print gets a primary identification number. To determine a primary identification number, you mathematically work out by putting a 16 or 0 for fingers 1 and 2, 8 or 0 for fingers 3 and 4, 4 or 0 for fingers 5 and 6, 2 or 0 for fingers 7 and 8, and 1 for 0 for fingers 9 and 10. When calculating, you will put a 16, 8, 4, 2, and 1 for these fingers only if these fingers are whorls. If they are arches or loops then you put a zero. After all of this calculating, to make sure that no one receives a score of 0/0, you will add 1 to the top and 1 to the bottom.
To be able to get a primary identification number you need to know the types of prints which means you need to have somewhat good printing skills. When doing a print, first you want to get a good, yet even amount of ink on your finger. Make sure your paper is on the edge of the surface and make sure you are standing up while printing with a surface around waist height. When printing, you will go inside to out, which means thumb to pinky every roll. Now, you press your finger on the paper, and in one motion, roll your finger on the paper. You will do this for every finger, and then have finger press prints of your 4 fingers on each, and then presses of your thumbs individually.