History of Forensic Science

First Autopsies Performed

300 BCE

Physicians in ancient Alexandria and Greece were the first to conduct autopsies. They did so to study disease and were able to correlate a patient's symptoms while alive to what was found when examining the body
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First Forensic Science Text

1247

"The Washing Away of Wrongs", written during the Sung Dynasty, is the oldest existing forensic science text. The book described how to determine gender of a cadaver, cause of death, and time of death. Although most of it was inaccurate, the book plays an important role in the origins of forensic science.
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Orfila Publishes First Major Work

1814

Mathieu Orfila, "The Father of Toxicology", published his first major work regarding poisons and general toxicology. Throughout his career, Orfila studied forensic chemical analysis, asphyxiation, decomposition, and exhumation.
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Bertillon System Established

1883

French police officer Alphonse Bertillon established bertillonage, or anthropometry. This used body measurements, physical descriptions, and photographs as a system of identification. He took frontal and profile portraits of suspects, the first mugshot.
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"A Study in Scarlet" Released

1887

Fictional character Sherlock Holmes starred in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most prominent work, "A Study in Scarlet", along with other novels. Although Doyle writes fiction, his writings credit science techniques and technologies that, while accepted today, were not utilized at the time. Holmes analyzes poisons, ballistics, fingerprints, and blood evidence.
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Galton Publishes "Finger Prints"

1892

Francis Galton established the scientific basis for identifying individuals through fingerprints, and studied the decipherment of blurred fingerprints. He wrote his findings in multiple articles and books
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Federal Bureau of Investigation Established

1908

Roosevelt established the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) because crime rates were growing with its cities and law enforcement was poorly trained. The FBI grew to not only investigate crimes, but law enforcement disciplines, national security, and intelligence.
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Lattes Applies Blood Typing to Forensic Analysis

1915

Leone Lattes was the first person to utilize the differences in blood types to identify suspects. He also developed a way to test dried blood to determine blood type.
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Polygraph Invented

1921

The first polygraph machine, which monitored blood pressure levels to determine if someone was lying, was invented in Berkeley, California. However, the credibility of polygraphs were quickly challenged. An updated model exists today, and it too is questioned. Many serial killers have passed polygraph tests and many innocent people have failed. This is because polygraph tests focus on signs of stress and anxiety.
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Goddard Forms the Bureau of Forensic Ballistics

1926

Calvin Goddard researched firearms identification. He developed techniques to determine markings left by bullets and studied the inside of gun barrels. He then aided cases such as the St. Valentines Day Massacre. His work impressed Chicago leaders, who therefore organized the first scientific crime lab in the nation at Northwestern University with Goddard as the Professor of Police Science
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American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE) Founded

1942

Albert S. Osborn became the first president of the ASQDE, where he and others worked to further forensic document analysis. Osborn analyzed handwriting, ink, paper, and typewriting, which he then detailed in his books. Source

Mullis Creates Polymerase Chain Reaction

1983

Kary Mullis received a Nobel Prize for creating the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This process duplicates portions of DNA to provide a larger sample to work with, making it possible to identify victims or suspects using DNA evidence.
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Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals Inc.

1993

This Supreme Court case redefined standards for accepting scientific evidence and expert testimony in court. The Daubert standard looks at if the scientific technique used has been tested, peer reviewed, and published, its acceptance, known error rate, and standards of testing.
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