History of Forensics

The practice of fingerprinting was first used in ancient China.

Forensics, or the process of using science to examine evidence and solve crimes, involves complicated lab procedures, computer DNA databases, and other cutting-edge technological advances. However, this branch of science dates back to ancient China when fingerprints were used to establish ownership of certain documents.

Early Origins

In the 1240s, Chinese judge Song Ci authored a forensic textbook that included examples from various murder cases, including one in which all of the village's sickles were examined and tested to determine which one contained traces of blood.

Ballistics

The ability to trace bullets to their weapons has greatly advanced forensic science.

In the 1820s, French detective Eugène François Vidocq first used ballistics by studying footsteps as traces of motion at crime scenes. Building on Vidocq's work, Henry Goddard pioneered bullet analysis when he was able to connect a bullet to the gun from which it came in 1835. These methods were further advanced with the invention of modern and electron microscopes, which allowed bullets to be traced first to their casings (1920s) and then to their residue (1970s).

Bodily Evidence

The next major advance in forensics, in the 1930s, involved classifying blood into different and identifiable types so that blood stains from crime scenes or evidence could be matched to suspects or victims. In the 1950s, neutron activation analysis allowed scientists to use the same technique with hair instead of blood. Building on those discoveries, scientists have been able to develop tests to identify other bodily fluids, as well as DNA.

References

• Discovery: What is Forensics?
• How Stuff Works: History of Forensics
• Investigation Discovery: History of Forensics
• Dictionary: Ballistics