-
Mathieu Orfila (1814)
Mathieu Joseph Bonaventure Orfila (1787-1853), often called the father of toxicology was the first great 19th-Century exponent of forensic medicine. Orfila worked to make chemical analysis a routine part of forensic medicine, and made studies of asphyxiation, he helped develop tests for the presence of blood in a forensic context and is credited as one of the first people to use a microscope to assess blood and semen stains. -
13th Century China
The oldest existing forensic science text is The Washing Away of Wongs. And is written around 1247 CE. Sung Tz'u who is considered to be the founding father of forensic science in china," wrote this text to help bureaucrats of the southern sung dynasty. Navigate the complex inquest process, provide instructions on how to examine a corpse and determine the cause of death. -
William Herschel (1856)
William Herschel used thumbprints to identify workers in India -
Alphonse Bertillon (1879)
"Father of Criminal Identification". Developed Anthropometry which uses body measurements to distinguish individuals. -
Henry Faulds (1880)
In the late 1870's, Faulds became involved in archaeological digs in Japan and noticed on shards of ancient property the fingerprints of those who had made them. He began to study modern fingerprints and wrote to Charles Darwin with his ideas. Darwin forwarded them to a relation, Francis Galton. In 1880, Faulds published a paper in "Nature' magazine on fingerprints, observing that the could be used to catch criminals. -
Francis Galton (1882)
Published Finger Prints. Conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification. Gave proof of their uniqueness. -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)
Published his first Sherlock Holmes story; Considered the first "CSI", featured in four novels and 56 short stories, popularized scientific crime-detection methods. -
Karl Landsteiner (1901)
He discovered the ABO blood groups, later he received the Noble Prize. -
Edmond Locard (1910)
Incorporated Gross' principles within a workable crime lab; became the founder and director of the institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons, France. -
Albert S. Osborn (1910)
Published questioned documents. Developed the fundamental principles of document examination. -
Leone Lattes (1915)
Developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood. -
August Vollmer (1923)
He established the first crime lab in the united states which is located in Los Angeles. -
Calvin Goddard (1925)
Calvin Goddard developed a comparison microscope; first used to compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon.
