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"The Washing Away of Wrong"
In an ancient book written by Sung Tz'u called The Washing Away of Wrong, Tz’u noted that water was collected in the lungs of drowning victims and that strangulation could be assumed by damaged cartilage in the victims neck. This book would become the official text book for coroners for many years. -
Beginning of Toxicology
In 1775, Carl Scheele realized he could transform arsenious oxide into arsenious acid. This discovery led to the eventual ability to detect arsenic poisoning, establishing a basis for toxicology. -
Study of Fingerprints
In the early 1800’s fingerprint patterns were beginning to be studied, although many years would pass before this was applied to criminal and personal identification, it was determined at this time that no two people had the same set of fingerprints. -
Professor Mathieu Orfila
In 1813 Professor Mathieu Orfila, became known as the “Father of Toxicology '' after he published Traite de Poisons. Orfila was also the first to be credited with trying to use a microscope to assess both blood and semen samples. -
Bullet Matching
In 1835, Henry Goddard, a former Bow Street Runner, was the first documented case of a law enforcement officer to compare bullets to try and catch the murderer. Goodard was able to find a flaw in the bullet, which was eventually traced back to the bullet mold. -
Body Temperature
In 1841 while a doctor was "experimenting" with the corpses of dead soldiers in Malta, he discovered that body temperature dropped at regular intervals following death. This helped to determine time of death.