Dactyloscopy

Dactyloscopy

Dactyloscopy

Fingerprints are reproductions of the patterns formed by the papillary ridges established on the palm side of the appendages and thumbs.

The established facts show that the chance against one finger producing a print identical with that of another finger, whether on the same hand or on the hand of another person, is so astronomical in number that for all practical human purposes it is reasonable to conclude that such a chance will never materialise. It has been computed that, theoretically, two identical prints would be found only once during a period longer than that which astronomers estimate is needed for the sun to grow cold.The History of Fingerprinting three great Englishmen - Sir William Herschel (1833 - 1917), Sir Francis Galton (1822 - 1911), and Sir Edward Henry (1859 - 1931) - were outstanding in their contributions to the science of fingerprint identification. It was Herschel who proved that the groupings of the papillary ridges (they are formed in the first few months of foetal life) remain constant from birth to death. This he did by taking test prints at intervals, ranging over a long period, of his own fingers and those of other people. The result of these tests established the reliability of fingerprints as a means of human identification. Galton did much pioneer research work, chiefly from data supplied by Herschel, but it was Henry who produced a workable system. In 1901 his system was officially adopted and the same year saw the inception of the Fingerprint Bureau at Scotland Yard. Henry's system displaced Bertillon's anthropometric method of identification by means of bodily measurements, and its superiority soon became recognised. The new system of the registration of habitual criminals was implemented by directions to the governors of prisons to take and forward to Scotland Yard the fingerprints of prisoners convicted and sentenced to one month's imprisonment or more. Later the scope of registration was extended to include persons sentenced to imprisonment at lower courts for lesser offences.

How fingerprints are taken for official use fingerprints are recorded on a special form with spaces for impressions of all the digits. The spaces are numbered from one to ten. The prints taken in these spaces are called rolled impressions because they are obtained by rolling each finger from side to side on an inked plate and then repeating the same process with the inked finger during the taking of the ...