Forensic Science

13th Century China

1300

First Forensic Case was a murder that included a stabbing near a rice field.

Mathieu Orfila

1814

Father of forensic toxicology because he had given the subject its first formal treatment.

William Herschel

1856

Used thumbprints on document to identify workers in India

Alphonse Bertillon

1879

Father of criminal Identification. Developed anthropometry which uses body measurements to distinguish individuals.

Henry Faulds

1880

Uses fingerprints to eliminate an innocent burglary suspect

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

1887

Published his first Sherlock Holmes story; considered the first CSI featured in four novels and 56 short stories, popularized crime detection methods.

Francis Galton

1892

Published finger prints. Conducted the first definitive study of fingerprints and their classification. Gave pros of their uniqueness.

Hans Gross

1893

Wrote the first paper describing the application of scientific principles to the field of criminal investigation. Published criminal investigation.

Karl Landsteiner

1901

Discovered the ABO blood groups, later received noble prize.

Edmond Locard

1910

Incorporated Gross principles within a workable crime lab; became the founder and the director of the institute of criminalists at the University of Lyons, France.

Albert S. Osborn

1910

Published Questioned Documents. Developed the fundamentals of document examination.

Leon Lattes

1915

Developed a method for determining blood type from dried blood.

August Vollmer

1923

Established the first crime lab in the US, in LA.

Calvin Goddard

1925

Developed a comparison microscope; first used o compare bullets to see if fired from the same weapon.