The History of Fingerprints essays

The History of Fingerprints essays Fingerprints are the one thing that is unique on every single human being. Even twins, though they share the same DNA, have different fingerprints. Fingerprints offer an infallible means of personal identification that can make any case a slam dunk. Though theyve been used for several hundred years, its only been around one hundred that law enforcement has used them to identify criminals. Since then, law enforcement officials have a much easier time identifying a suspect beyond a reasonable doubt. It has been discovered that fingerprints were even used in ancient times. In Babylon, they used fingerprint impressions on clay tablets for business transactions, and in ancient China they have found clay seals with thumb prints on them. In Persia, in the 14th century, a government official, who was also a doctor, noted that no two fingerprints were ever the same. In 1686, an anatomy professor who studied the skin, kidneys, and liver at the University of Bologna, whose name was Malpighia, noticed different patterns in fingerprints. He called them ridges, spirals, and loops, and a layer of skin was even named after him, along with other body parts. He was perhaps the first person to notice and name the patterns of fingerprints, and today those patterns are called whorls, loops, and arches. One of the greatest steps for fingerprinting, was in 1856 when Sir William Herschel began requiring finger or palm prints on contracts. As he collection of prints grew, he discovered their individuality and he realized they could be used to prove or disprove identity. This caused him to use fingerprints for more than just contracts, thus paving the way for the modern use of prints. Another remarkable step in fingerprinting was made by Dr. Henry Faulds. He discovered their uses and made a method of classifying them. He also published an article in the Scientific Journal discussing their use as personal identification and...