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Around the first time that fingerprints were used. They would print the debtors fingerprint with ink and staple it to the bill -
Around 1250 Richard was the first to invent the idea of using a coroner to investigate who was behind questionable deaths. This led to the creation of forensics to help with that process hundreds of years later. -
Mathieu Orfilia is called the father of toxicology. This is because of his work to make chemical analysis a large part of forensics. Chemical analysis allows scientists to find chemicals in the blood such as poison that could help in the solving of a crime. -
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the writer of the Sherlock Holms novels. While he was not directly involved in forensic science, the methods used in his stories such as fingerprints, trace evidence, and footprints influenced forensic science long before these methods would be active in the police force. -
Francis Galton used measurement methodologies to establish fingerprinting. He then created a taxonomic classification system that is still used to this day. -
As a french police officer and a biometrics researcher Alphonse Bertillion created the first system of physical measurements, photos, and records called anthropometry in 1898. Before this way of identifying suspects the police could only go by eyewitnesses. -
Edmond Locard establishes the first ever police crime laboratory in Lyon, France. -
Albert S Osborn publishes "Questioned Documents" -
Leone Lattes developed a method to restore dried blood samples so they could be tested for blood type. -
Calvin studied bullet casings found at the scene of the 1929 Valentine's Day Massacre. This examination showed that the guns used in the Massacre were not police issued which led them to the mob. After showing that bullet casings could help provide the evidence needed to find a killer, Calvin is recognized for leading the way in “forensic ballistics”. -
Leone Lattes developed a method for determining blood type from a dry sample. -
The world's first DNA-based manhunt, investigating a double rape-murder. Richard Buckland was the main suspect, and confessed to the second killing. However he was cleared using DNA profiling, the first person ever. Colin Pitchfork had initially sent another man's blood sample, but was caught after his actions were realized. He then became the first person ever to be proved guilty through DNA profiling and was sentenced to life in prison in 1988. -
Kary B. Mullis was a biochemist that won the nobel prize for his work in inventing the polymerase chain reaction technique. This technique amplifies DNA sequences which can be used to identify someone based on their DNA profile. -