An introduction to fingerprints
Assoc. Prof. Linda Brownlow MSc, PGCE, MCSFS, IAI, ICSIA
,Dactylography
, Early History
Chinese literature
Neolithic burial passage showed they were aware India: Fingerprint
in island off Brittany- of the patterns patterns used to predict
ridge carvings Language has words for sex of unborn children
fingermark impressions
Scenes of crime marks-
Some indication the
Roman scholar- size of
Chinese knew of their
hand and route of
individuality – used as
bloody marks led to
seals on documents
killer
, Dr. Nehemiah Grew 1641- 1712
First documented interest in the skin's ridges in the
& Others western world, a paper written in 1684 by an
Englishman, Dr. Nehemiah Grew, was mainly of an
anatomical nature; ‘little fountains’
1686 Marcello Malpighi published De Extemo Tactus
Organo, observed different patterns and the
presence of ridges.
1798, J. C Mayer of Germany theorised that the
arrangements of friction ridges were unique.
1818 Thomas Bewick an English engraver made use
of fingerprint patterns on his wood carvings.
In 1823, Professor Johannes Evangelist Purkinje
published the most detailed description of fingerprints
to have appeared anywhere up to that time and
identified nine fingerprint patterns.
Assoc. Prof. Linda Brownlow MSc, PGCE, MCSFS, IAI, ICSIA
,Dactylography
, Early History
Chinese literature
Neolithic burial passage showed they were aware India: Fingerprint
in island off Brittany- of the patterns patterns used to predict
ridge carvings Language has words for sex of unborn children
fingermark impressions
Scenes of crime marks-
Some indication the
Roman scholar- size of
Chinese knew of their
hand and route of
individuality – used as
bloody marks led to
seals on documents
killer
, Dr. Nehemiah Grew 1641- 1712
First documented interest in the skin's ridges in the
& Others western world, a paper written in 1684 by an
Englishman, Dr. Nehemiah Grew, was mainly of an
anatomical nature; ‘little fountains’
1686 Marcello Malpighi published De Extemo Tactus
Organo, observed different patterns and the
presence of ridges.
1798, J. C Mayer of Germany theorised that the
arrangements of friction ridges were unique.
1818 Thomas Bewick an English engraver made use
of fingerprint patterns on his wood carvings.
In 1823, Professor Johannes Evangelist Purkinje
published the most detailed description of fingerprints
to have appeared anywhere up to that time and
identified nine fingerprint patterns.
