PLMUN (Review Material)

Personal Identification Technique

A.Y 2024 – 25 (2nd Semester)

An Overview:

 The development of fingerprint science predates the Christian era by many centuries.
Prehistoric Indian picture writing of hand with crudely marked ridge patterns, fingerprints
impressions on clay tablets recording business transactions in Ancient Babylon, and clay
seals of Ancient Chinese origin bearing thumb prints, were found as evidence of early use
of fingerprint as identification of persons impressing the prints.

The formal study began as early as 1686 but has finally gained official used in 1858 by Sir
William James Herschel, a British chief administrative officer in Hoogly District of Bengal,
India. Herschel used fingerprints in India to prevent fraudulent collection of army pay
accounts and for identity on other documents.

 The Indian Natives engaged into several forms of civil disobedience to British
administrators like Herschel which includes the breaking of contracts. Herschel
determined to construct a new road within weeks of his new appointment, he contracted
for supply of road making materials. One was Rajyadhar Konai, a local businessman, who
entered a contract for the supply of such materials. Hoping that the contract will be
honored by Konai, he wanted a signature from konai that the latter could not deny. The
whole palm and finger over the home made oil- ink used for the official seal and pressed
the whole hand on the back of the contract.

 Konai was the first person Herschel handprinted on July 18, 1858. It was done as a way of
getting Konai to honor a contract he had signed than as a means of personal
identification, it was not based on science but on superstition.

Uses of Fingerprints in Ancient Times:

 Personal Identification: The most common use was to mark or authenticate personal
documents or contracts, especially where literacy was not widespread.
 Seals and Signatures: In many cultures, individuals would use their fingerprints as a form of
seal to confirm the authenticity of documents.
 Criminal Identification: Some early uses, especially in ancient China, suggest the potential
for identifying criminals by their fingerprints, though this was not formalized.
 Art and Symbolism: Fingerprints were sometimes used for symbolic or decorative purposes,
as seen with ancient seals and artifacts.

The word criminalistics comes from the German word Kriminalistik, which was coined by Austrian
criminalist Hans Gross. The term was adopted into English in the late 1940s.

Hans Gross - often called the father of criminalistics; because he was a pioneering criminologist
who published the first comprehensive text on the scientific investigation of crime

The term "criminalistics" is a blend of two words: "criminal" and "istics".

1. Criminal: This part comes from the Latin word criminis, meaning a crime or an accusation.
It relates to anything involving crime or criminal activity.
2. -istics: This suffix is derived from the Greek -ιστικός (-istikos), which denotes a field of study
or practice. It's commonly used in terms like "statistics," "economics," or "athletics," where it
indicates the study or application of certain principles or techniques.

 Criminalistics is the scientific analysis of physical evidence in the context of criminal

investigations. It combines various forensic science disciplines to help solve crimes by
studying evidence such as fingerprints, blood, hair, fibers, drugs, firearms, and more. The
goal is to use science to establish facts and help piece together what happened during
a crime; or

Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
  Criminalistics can be defined as the application of scientific methods to the recognition,
collection, identification, and comparison of physical evidence generated by criminal or
illegal civil activity. It also involves the reconstruction of such events by evaluation of the
physical evidence and the crime scene.
 So, criminalistics essentially means the scientific study and analysis of crime-related
evidence. The term came into broader use during the late 19th to early 20th century as
forensic science began to formalize into its own specialized field within criminology.

FORENSIC SCIENCE

The word "forensic" comes from the Latin word "forensis," which means "of or belonging to the
forum." In ancient Rome, the forum was a public space where legal and political matters were
discussed, including trials and debates. So, the word "forensic" originally referred to anything
related to public discussion, particularly legal proceedings.

Over time, the term evolved to specifically refer to the application of science or knowledge to
legal matters. Today, "forensic" broadly refers to any field or technique used in the investigation
and resolution of legal issues, especially those involving crime. For example, forensic science
refers to the use of scientific methods and principles to solve crimes, while forensic pathology
involves examining bodies to determine causes of death.

Forensic science is the application of scientific methods to criminal cases. It's a branch of study
that uses scientific disciplines like biology, chemistry, and physics to analyze evidence and help
solve crimes.

What does forensic science do?

Collects evidence from crime scenes and other locations
 Analyzes evidence like fingerprints, blood, and digital data
 Interprets the results of their analysis
 Testifies as expert witnesses in court

What are some examples of forensic science?

 Forensic anthropology: Analyzes skeletal remains
 Forensic chemistry: Analyzes chemicals found at a crime scene
 Forensic engineering: Analyzes how and why structures fail
 Forensic pathology: Determines cause of death
 Forensic toxicology: Analyzes toxicology samples

What's the goal of forensic science?

 The goal of forensic science is to help uncover the truth and bring justice in criminal
cases. It's not intended to prove guilt or innocence

So, when we talk about forensic science, we’re essentially referring to the application of
scientific methods in the forum (i.e., in legal or criminal investigations)

Forensic science is a broad field that applies scientific principles to legal matters, while
criminalistics is a specialized branch of forensic science that focuses on physical evidence from
crime scenes

PERSONALITIES IN FINGERPRINT

Marcelo Malpighi - He was an Italian anatomist and Professor at the University of Bolognia. In 1686, he
published “De Externo Tactus Organo” in book form. He described the ridges found on the palmar
surface of the hand which course in diverse designs and the pores which served as the mouth of the
sweet glands. He was also noted for the discovery of the inner and outer structures of the skin. He named
the inner layer dermis and the outer one epidermis.

According to Collins (2006), his work was of such outstanding performance that one of the layers of
the skin was named after him called stratum Malpighi (approximately 1.8 mm thick) because of his
scholarly work on anatomy (Lapiña 2012; Montalba 2010; Agas et al. 2009). Malpighi was called by
Locard as the Grandfather of Dactyloscopy.
Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
Johann Christoph Andreas Mayer – the first to state that fingerprints are never duplicated in two
persons (Anatomiche Kuphertafeln). This accompanied by brief explanations. His remarks
contain a statement which clearly pronounced one of the fundamental principles of fingerprint
science. “Although the arrangement of the skin ridges is never duplicated in two persons,
nevertheless the similarities are closer among some individuals” (Tubid 2008). Mayer was the first
to write that friction ridge skin is unique (Holder et al. 2011). This is the basis of the principle of
individuality (Delizo 2015).

Johannes Evangelista Purkinje (FATHER OF DACTYLOSCOPY) – Professor at the University of

Breslau, Germany. Established a certain role for classification and be able to identify nine (9)
types of pattern although never associated to identification.

His work contributed an important landmark in the history of fingerprint science. It was his book ‘a
commentary of the physiological examination of the organs of vision and the cutaneous system.” In this
study, he described and illustrated fingerprints ridge formation into nine (9) different types but did not
mention about personal identification (Manlusoc 2013; Lapiña 2012; Montalba 2010; Agas et al. 2009;
Collins 2006; Montojo 2006)

The Nine (9) Types of Patterns by Purkenje:

a. Transverse curves (plain arch)
b. Central longitudinal stria (tented arch)
c. Oblique stripe (loop, ulnar, or radial)
d. Oblique loop (loop, ulnar or radial)
e. Almond (whorl)
f. Spiral (whorl)
g. Ellipse-elliptical (whorl)
h. Circle-circular (whorl)
i. Double whorl (composite, twin loop)

Herman Welcker – He supported the statement of Mayer by an experiment in 1856. He printed

his right palm to prove to himself if the ridges change. By 1897, forty-one years later, he again
printed his right palm. It proved that the ridges characteristic do not change and thus
established the principle of permanency (Delizo 2015; Manlusoc 2013; Montojo 2006).

William James Herschel – He was the first to advocate the use of fingerprints as substitute for
signature among Indian natives to avoid impersonation (Manlusoc 2013). He published a 41
page book, “the origin of fingerprinting” which describes his research when he practiced actual
recording of the finger and palm prints of the natives of India (Tubid 2008; Collins 2006).

Contribution:

 Sir William Herschel was a British civil servant in India who is often credited with being
one of the earliest adopters of fingerprinting for identity verification.
 Herschel began using fingerprints in the 1850s on contracts and other official documents
in Bengal, India. He realized that fingerprints were unique and could be used to prevent
fraud.
 His innovative use of fingerprints was particularly focused on identifying individuals and
ensuring that contracts were authentic, even if the signatory was illiterate. He used
thumbprints on documents as an early form of personal identification, long before
fingerprinting became a tool for criminal investigations.
 Herschel's observations about the uniqueness of fingerprints led him to begin thinking of
their potential use in criminal forensics, although he did not formally apply them in this
area during his lifetime.
 Herschel is called as the Father of Chiroscopy (Delizo 2015).

Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
Henry Faulds – A surgeoon at Tsukuji Hospital, Tokyo Japan, His article ‘On the skin furrows of the
hand” points out his observation that chance prints left at the scene of crime would provide for
positive identification of offenders when apprehended. His ideas are remarkable for their
anticipation of present-day practices. He recommended the use of a thin film of printer’s ink as
a transfer medium; just as fingerprint ink is generally used today (Tubid 2008).

He also pointed out the value of fingerprinting as being in “medico legal studies” and commented
that photographs of people change over the years but friction ridges never change (Tubid 2008).

Lapiña (2012) specifically enumerated the contribution of Faulds, these are: (1) fingerprint as a
means of identification and (2) in the methods of classification, he made the first fingerprint identification
of a greasy fingerprint left on alcoholic bottle.

Highlight Contributions:

 Dr. Henry Faulds, a Scottish physician, is often considered one of the key pioneers in the
forensic application of fingerprints.
 In the 1870s, Faulds began studying fingerprints while working in Japan. He realized that
fingerprints were unique and could be used for identification purposes. Faulds published
an article in the London Lancet medical journal in 1880, suggesting that fingerprints
could be used to identify criminals.
 Faulds was an early advocate of using fingerprints for criminal investigations, and he
even contacted Scotland Yard to suggest that they adopt fingerprint identification for
solving crimes, though it wasn’t until later that this idea gained traction.
 He is often credited with promoting fingerprinting as a scientific tool in forensic science,
although his efforts were not immediately adopted by law enforcement.

Francis Galton – He discovered the three families of the fingerprint pattern – arch, loop, and whorl.

He revealed that fingerprint patterns remain constant throughout life of the individual and these
ridges patterns are useful in devising a method of classification. His eminence rests on the appearance
of the ridge characteristics which was named after him: the minutiae or Galton details (Lapiña 2012;
Tubid 2008). The Galton system was officially adopted in England in February 1984 (Collins 2006).

provided the first workable fingerprint classification system, which was later adapted by E. R.
Henry for practical use in police forces and other bureaucratic settings. Most of all, Galton's
extensive popular advocacy of the use of prints helped to convince a skeptical public that they
could be used reliably for identification.

Highlight Contribution:

 Sir Francis Galton, a British scientist, was a pioneering figure in the scientific study of
fingerprints. He was a cousin of Charles Darwin and applied his scientific rigor to studying
human fingerprint patterns.
 In 1892, Galton published his groundbreaking book, "Fingerprints", which was the first
comprehensive study of the biological uniqueness and classification of fingerprints. His
work laid the foundation for understanding fingerprints as distinctive characteristics that
could be used for personal identification.
 Galton identified that no two fingerprints were alike, and his research led him to classify
fingerprints into broad categories based on ridge patterns: loops, whorls, and arches.
This classification system is still relevant today.
 He also explored the idea of using fingerprints for criminal identification, marking the
start of using fingerprints in forensic science.

Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
Edward Richard Henry – Developed the Henry System of Classification at Scotland Yard which
was accepted by almost all English-speaking country. Known as Father of Fingerprint.

Highlight Contribution:

 In 1901, Henry developed the Henry Classification System, which was a more systematic way to classify
and identify fingerprints for criminal investigations.
 The Henry System categorized fingerprints based on the presence or absence of certain ridge patterns
(loops, whorls, and arches), making it easier to compare fingerprints and identify individuals. This system
was adopted by police forces worldwide and is still the basis for fingerprint classification today.
 Henry's work transformed fingerprinting from a concept into a practical tool for law enforcement,
especially in criminal investigations.

Juan Vucetich – An Argentinean police officer who installed fingerprint the first files as an official means
of Criminal Identification in Argentina. He was known as the Father of Fingerprints in all Spanish-speaking
countries. In 1892, he made the first criminal fingerprint identification. He was able to identify a woman
by the name of Francisca Rojas who murdered her two sons, and cut her throat in an attempt to place
the blame on another. Her bloody print was left on a door post, proving her identity as the murderer.

The Rojas murder case is considered to be the first homicide solved by fingerprint evidence, and
Argentina became the first country to rely solely on fingerprints as a method of individualization (Holder
et al. 2011).

Highlight Contribution:

 Vucetich was the first to successfully solve a murder case using fingerprints as evidence.
 His breakthrough case involved the murder of two children in Argentina, and the
fingerprints of the murderer were found on a piece of evidence. The fingerprints
matched the suspect, leading to his arrest and conviction.
 Vucetich also developed the first fingerprint classification system for criminal
identification, known as the Vucetich System, which was adopted in Argentina and
spread to other parts of Latin America.
 His work in criminal justice marked the beginning of the use of fingerprint evidence in
solving crimes and convicting criminals.

Alphonse Bertillon (Father of Scientific Identification) – he devised the first truly scientific method
of criminal identification in Paris France called the “Anthropometry or Bertillonage”. He decided
to use various body measurements.

3 SIGNALMENT OF BERTILLON SYSTEM

1. Anthropometrical signalment – this system is based on the measurements of the
various bony structures of human body.
2. Descriptive signalment (Portrait Parle) – this is a clear and specific system of
describing an individual.
3. Photographic Signalment – this is a method of sectional photography introduced
by Bertillon to revise the then prevailing haphazard system of photographing
suspects.

Highlight Contribution:

 Alphonse Bertillon was a French police officer who developed a system of criminal
identification known as anthropometry (or Bertillonage). While his system focused on
measuring various body parts (e.g., head size, arm length, etc.), it laid the foundation for
modern biometric identification.

Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
  Bertillon’s anthropometric system was the first attempt at systematic identification of
criminals and was used by police forces around the world before fingerprinting became
the primary method.

Nehemiah Grew – He was the first to described friction ridge skin in detail, describes the ridges
and pores of the hands and feet and their various arrangement (Holder et al. 2011). In 1684, his
paper (Philosophical Transaction) presented in Royal Society of London, England describes the
ridges and pores of the hands and feet (Delizo 2015; Montalba 2010; Agas et al. 2009; Montojo
2006; Collins 2006). His study was said to be purely anatomical in nature.

Govard Bidloo – In 1685, his thesis (Anatomia Humanis Corporis) supported the appearance and
arrangement of the ridges on a thumb due to their importance . The breadths of the individual
ridges were exaggerated to show the individual characteristics of the ridged surface. This was
given emphasis due to importance of the epidermal ridges.

Harold Cummins (1983 – 1976) – he described the formation and development of volar pads on
the human fetus.

Alfred Hale – he’s paper describes the formation of friction ridges of the human fetus but also
describes the development of friction ridge identification.

Rajyadhar Konai - was the first subject of Herschel of fingerprinting and printing (Delizo 2015; Manlusoc
2013; Tubid 2008). He decided to place the native’s entire palm print on the document to safeguard
against repudiation of signatures.

Khan Bahadur Azizul Haque and Rai Hem Chandra Bose – the two Hindu police officers who
have help Henry in attaining his goal.

Dr. Arthur Kollmann

A publication in 1883 by Dr. Arthur Kollmann of Hamburg, Germany, The Tactile Apparatus of the
Hand of the Human Races and Apes in Its Development and Structure, added to the research being
conducted on friction ridge skin.

Kollmann studied the embryological development of friction ridge skin, proposing that ridges are
formed by lateral pressure between nascent ridges and that ridges are discernible in the fourth month of
fetal life and are fully formed in the sixth. Kollman was the first to identify the presence and locations of
the volar pads on the hands and feet (Holder et al. 2011)

IN AMERICA

Dr. Henry P. De Forrest

In 1902, he utilized the first municipal use of fingerprints in Municipal Civil Service Commission in the
City of New York. He required civil service applicants to be fingerprinted to prevent from having better
qualified persons take tests for them and put the system into practice (Tubid 2008).

Thus, he installed the first known systematic use of fingerprints. However, in 1903, the New York
State of Prison in Albany claims the first practical systematic use of fingerprints in the US to identify
criminals (Montalba 2010

Gilbert Thompson - He used thumb print on his document to prevent forgery and this was the first known
use of fingerprints in U.S. (Lapiña 2012).

Isaiah West Tabor - Photographer in San Francisco who advocated the use of the system for the
registration of the immigrant Chinese.

Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
Samuel Langhorne Clemens - An Englishman who informally introduced Dactyloscopy in the
United States in his book “Life in the Mississippi” and “Pupp n Head Wilson”.

Capt. James L. Parke - Advocate the first state and penal use of fingerprint adopted in SingSing
prison on June 5, 1903 later on Auburn Napanoch and Clinton Penitentiaries.

Sgt. John Kenneth Ferrier - First fingerprint instructor at St. Louis Police Dept. Missouri.

Maj. R. Mc Cloughry - warden of the Federal Penitentiaries of Leaven Worth. Established the first
official National Government use of fingerprint.

Mary K. Holand - She was the first American female instructor in fingerprinting or dactyloscopy (Holder et
al. 2011).

Harry Mayers II - In 1925, he installed the first official foot and fingerprint system for infants at the Jewish
Maternity Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and the first system in the state (Delizo 2015).

Thomas Bewick - An Englishman who used fingerprint as his signature by engraving them on wood
(Montalba 2010).

John Dillinger - He was known as U.S. public enemy number one who attempted to destroy his own prints
using corrosive acids (Manlusoc 2013; Tubid 2008). Montalba (2010) said that the acid temporarily
destroys the fingerprint but the prints restore to its original formation few days later.

Robert James Pitts - He has worked on surgery to forge his own fingerprints and was named “Man without
fingerprint” (Manlusoc 2013; Montalba 2010; Tubid 2008).

Pitts got the idea of destroying his fingerprints from a fellow inmate, contacted a doctor who
wanted to experiment with the alteration of his fingerprint. The doctor removed the skin from the first joint
of each finger down through the generate layer and sewed this incision on each side of Pitt’s chest. This
was an attempt to graft the skin onto the fingers. After six weeks, the fingers were removed and excess
skin trimmed off, but instead of skin graft, only a scar tissue remained and this showed no pattern of any
kind (Tubid 2008).

Deptford Murder Trial

It was the first murder trial in England in which fingerprints were used as evidence (Holder et al.
2011).

People vs. Jennings, Dec. 21, 1911

According to Manlusoc (2013), this is a United States leading case wherein the first conviction
based on fingerprint was recognized by the judicial authorities (14 points). Holder et al. (2011) stated that
this was the first case regarding the admissibility of fingerprint expert testimony.

People v Crispi (1911)

This is considered to be the first conviction obtained with fingerprint evidence alone in the United
States (Holder et al. 2011).

IN THE PHILIPPINES

Mr. Jones First to teach fingerprints in the Philippine Constabulary (PC) sometimes in the
year 1900 (Delizo 2015; Manlusoc 2013).
Flaviano Guerrero gave the first examination in FP in 1937. a significant figure in the history of
fingerprint identification in the Philippines. He was a pioneer in forensic science and is
often regarded as the father of Philippine fingerprinting due to his efforts in introducing
and institutionalizing the use of fingerprints for criminal identification in the country
Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)
 Augustin Patricio In 1937, he was the first Filipino authority in fingerprinting and who topped the
first examination on fingerprints given by Captain Thomas Dugon of the New
York Police Department and Flaviano Guerrero, FBI Washington (Manlusoc
2013).
Generoso Reyes First Filipino Fingerprint Technician employed by the PC(Delizo 2015; Manlusoc
2013; Montalba 2010; Tubid 2008)
Isabela Bernales First Filipina Fingerprint Technician (Manlusoc 2013)
People of the Phils. First conviction base on Fingerprint and leading case decision in the Phil.
vs. Medina Jurisprudence (10 points identical ridge characteristics) (Manlusoc 2013;
Montalba 2010; Tubid 2008)
Plaridel Education Now known as Phil. College of Criminology, first government recognized school
Institute (PEI) to teach the Science of Fingerprint and other Police Sciences.
Lucila Lalu The famous Filipina Chop-chop lady in 1967 who was identified through
fingerprint (Delizo 2015; Manlusoc 2013).
Senate Bill 1282 this act shall be known as the “National Crime Database Act”. Introduced by
Sen. Manny Villar

Prepared by:
PROF. DAISY VALERIE M. DE RAMOS, RCrim, MSCJ, PhD (Can.)