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Dr. Nehemiah
Wrote a paper describing the patterns that he saw on human hands under a microscope, including the presence of ridges. -
Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer
Described that the arrangement of skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons. He was probably the first scientist who recognized this fact. -
Jan Evangelist Purkyn
Described nine distinct fingerprint patterns, including loops, spirals, circles, and double whorls. -
Sir William Herschel
Began collecting fingerprints in 1856. He noticed the patterns were unique to each person and were not altered by age. -
Alphonse Bertillon
An assistance clerk in the records office at the Police Station in Paris. He created a way to identify criminals. The system, sometimes called Bertillonage, was first used in 1883 to identify a repeating offender. -
Dr Henry Faulds
What did Henry Faulds discover?
He is responsible for developing the fingerprint identification system that is used throughout Europe and North America. In conjunction with his research, Henry published Classification and Uses of Finger Prints. As the head of Scotland Yard, he also led the transition from anthropometry to fingerprint identification. -
Sir Francis Galton
Verified that fingerprints do not change with age. Along with Sir E.R. Henry, he developed the classification system for fingerprints that is still in use today in the United States and Europe. -
Ivan (Juan) Vucetich
Improved fingerprint collection. He began to note measurements on the identification cards of all arrested persons, as well as adding all ten finger print impressions -
Sir Edmund Richard Henry
With the help of two colleagues, he created a system that divided fingerprint records into groups based on whether they have an arch, whorl, or loop pattern. They used a "ten card" to collect and organize fingerprint data. -
Sir Alec Jeffreys
a British geneticist known for developing techniques for genetic fingerprinting and DNA profiling which are now used worldwide in forensic science to assist police detective work and to resolve paternity and immigration disputes.
