Forensic Science

By Heaven33
  • 1247

    13th Century China

    13th Century China
    A victim had been killed by a sickle (a farming tool). All the rice field workers were told to lay down their sickles and a hoard of flies were attracted to one because they could sense the blood.

  • Mathieu Orfila publishes "Traite Des Poisons"

    Mathieu Orfila publishes "Traite Des Poisons"
    Orifla studied decomposing bodies, asphyxiation, and exhumation. He published Traite Des Poisons expanding his knowledge on forensic toxicology.

  • William Herschel

    William Herschel
    Herschel documented his fingerprints to prove that the prints don't change overtime. Working as an Indian Civil Service officer, he decided that it was best for thumbprints to be put on contracts.

  • Alphonse Bertillon Develops anthropometry

    Alphonse Bertillon Develops anthropometry
    Working as a minor clerk at a Paris police station, he created a system used to identify people with 11 bodily measurements plus hair color, skin color, and eye color.

  • Henry Faulds

    Henry Faulds
    Faulds was sure that a man accused of breaking into his hospital was innocent. He compared the fingerprints left at the crime scene to the suspect's and discovered that they did not match.

  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

    Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
    His first Sherlock Holmes Story was published. The novels popularized crime-detection methods.

  • Francis Galton

    Francis Galton
    Galton conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and classified them. He published "Fingerprints."

  • Hans Gross

    Hans Gross
    Gross wrote the first paper about scientific principles and its relation to criminal investigation. He published "Criminal Investigation"

  • Karl Landsteiner

    Karl Landsteiner
    He discovered ABO blood groups and won a Nobel prize.

  • Edmond Locard

    Edmond Locard
    In a crime lab, he used Gross' principles. He later on founded the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons.

  • Albert S. Osborn

    Albert S. Osborn
    Published "Questioned Documents." He developed fundamental principles of document examination.

  • Leon Lattes

    Leon Lattes
    He developed an antibody test that classified A, AB, B, and O blood type from dried blood.

  • August Vollmer

    August Vollmer
    Established the first crime lab in the US in Los Angeles.

  • Calvin Goddard

    Calvin Goddard
    Goddard developed a comparison microscope.It was originally used to compare bullets.