Historical Background of Fingerprint

• Eastern Origin
The use of fingerprints as means of making
a mark is of very ancient origin. They were
utilized as such from the earliest days in the
East, when the thumb impression of a
monarch was used as a royal sign manual.
• Originator
The name of the person, who in the early
days of the East first realized that the tips of
the fingers contained well- defined patterns or
that they contained a pattern at all, is
shrouded in the mists of antiquity and for that
reason will probably never be known.
• China and Japan
It has been said that fingerprints were in use in
China and Japan far away back in the distant past
and that identification by fingerprints was
employed in Korea 1,200 years ago in deeds for
the sale of slaves, but so far as can be determined
there is nothing definite on record to substantiate
either of the statements. It is however, known
that early in the Christian era, there was a
Japanese edict, whereby, for particular purpose, a
person was required to ink one of his fingers and
to apply it in a document, probably resulting in
what is known in India as a “tin-sahi”
It is not done with the knowledge that the
fingers had a definite pattern or that a pattern
could be definitely identified, but it appears to
have been done to frighten the superstitious
repudiating a contract or agreement.
• Prehistoric marks
Archaeologists and others have discovered
finger impression on prehistoric pottery,
which have been, definitely identified as prints
from human hand. The patterns agree in every
way with those of the present day, but there is
no evidence to show that such impressions
were deliberately made on the pottery in its
soft state, it was probably done as a mystic
rite and not because it was then known that
the impression could be utilized for the
purpose of identification
 .
An Italian anatomist, published his
work “De Externo Tactus Organo” in
book form.
He describe the ridges found on the
palmar surface of the hand w/ course
in diverse designs and the pores w/c
serve as the mouth of the sweat
glands.

1628-1694
Dr. Marcello Malpighi
• A professor of anatomy and also a botanist and it
was he who first applied the microscope to
anatomical study, and demonstrated the
transition of the blood from the arteries to the
veins. The microscope had then recently been
discovered and his inquisitive scientific mind led
him to turn it on to the hand and fingertips. By its
means he discovered that the ridges on the
fingers formed themselves into loops and spirals.
He was also the first to discover the sweat pores
in the ridges as he described them as “the open
mouths of the sweat glands” His discoveries sank
into oblivion for about 130 years
• Thomas Bewick 1809
Was a well- known English engraver in
wood. He was also a writer and in some of his
books he gave a facsimile of the impression of
one of his fingers apparently as a kind of
eccentric bookmark. It does not seen to have
occurred to Bewick that the impression could
be used as means of identification, yet he
must have been well aware that he had carved
out a distinct.
 .
Purkunjie’s work contributed an
important landmark in the history of
fingerprint science. He distinguished
and named nine fingerprint patterns.
He got his work published officially
on December 22, 1823 at the city of
Breslau Germany.

Johannes E. Purkinjie
1787-1869
December 22, 1823 Jan Evangelista Purkinje,
who was a professor of physiology submitted
a thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine,
but in it he made no mention of the
observations of Malphigi and presumably,
therefore, he knew nothing about them. In
this thesis, which Galton in “Fingerprints”
described as “written in a form of Latin
difficult to translate accurately into free
English” He devoted a small part of his essay
to a discussion of the ridges on the last
phalange of each finger
His discussion was entirely from the
physiological standpoint and although he
divided the impressions into nine groups it
does not appear to have occurred to him that
the pattern could in any way be utilized for the
purpose of identification of an individual.
 Purkinje’s Nine Groups
• Flexures transverse
• Stria centralis longitudinalis
• Stria obliqua
• Sinus obliquas
• Amygdalus
• Spirula
• Ellipsis
• Circulus
• Cortex duplicatus
 Personal Identification methods
through the ages

Alphonse Bertillon
*It is a system of identification
Based on the measurements
Of a various bony structure of
the human body came to be Anthropometry System
Known when it was introduced in
the police dept. in Paris, france in
1882
 .
The “ philosophy Transaction “ in
1684
By Dr. Nehemiah Grew (1641-1712)
was
Presented before the royal Society
in London
England. Dr. Grew presented his
observation
On the appearance of the ridges on
Dr. Nehemiah Grew the fingers
1641-1712 And palms.
 . a book w/c was an
Published
atlas of anatomical
Illustrations of fingerprints. This
was a
Accompanied by brief
explanation . His remarks
Contain a statement w/c
clearly pronounced
One of the fundamentals
Johann Chrishtoph
Andreas Mayer
principles of fingerprint
science.
 .
Sir William Herschel in
1916 published
A 41 page book “ the
Origin Of Fingerprinting”
which describes his
Research starting in
1858 when he practiced
actual recording of the
finger and palm prints of
the natives if India.
Sir William Herschel
1833-1937
 .
In 1880, in Tokyo, Japan
published an article in the
British journal “Nature”
describing the importance of
fingerprints
For identification purposes.
Dr. Faulds envisioned the
practical use of fingerprints in
establishing the identification
Dr. Henry Faulds of persons leaving chance
1843-1930 prints at the crime scene.
 .
Is called with being the first scientist if
friction
Skin identification as well as his role in
promoting its use. Galton a cousin of
Charles Darwin, was wealthy and
probably the most able scientist if his day.
With deep interest in his
Study, Galton was able to discover the
three families of fingerprint patterns……
Arch , Loops, Whorl . He revealed that
ridges patterns remain constant
Francis Galton throughout the life of the individual and
1822-1911 that these ridge patterns are useful in
devising a method of classification.
 Juan Vucetich (1858-1926)
• Early pioneer in the development and
classification of fingerprints
• He had no formal education, he emigrated to
Argentina I 1884 from the Dalmation island of
Lessina and joined the police department in
Buenos Aires.
• He was appointed chief of the anthropometric
bureau instituting the Bertillon method of
identification. He had devised a system of
fingerprint classification based on ten fingers.
 .
Is considered the father of
fingerprint science because
of his persistence in devising
a workable system of
classification. In 1899 Henry
returned to England and in
the city of Dover he read his
workable system before the
British Association for the
Sir Edward Henry
1859-1931 Advancement of Science.
 Dr. Edmund Locard
He is the one who discover of the important
method of identification known as
“poroscopy”
1903 – The William West – Will West Case at a Federal
Prison in Leavenworth, Kansas,
changed the way that people were classified and
identified.
When a man named Will West entered the
Leavenworth Prison System, in 1903, he was
“booked” into the prison, as all other inmates. His face
was photographed, and his Bertillion
measurements were taken. Upon completion of this
process, it was noted that another
inmate, known as William West, who was already
incarcerated at Leavenworth, had the
same name, Bertillion measurements, and bore a
striking resemblance to Will West.
• The incident called the reliability of Bertillion
measurements into question, and it was decided
that a more positive means of identification was
necessary. As the Bertillion System began to
decline, the use of fingerprints in identifying and
classifying individuals began to rise. After 1903,
many prison systems began to use fingerprints as
the primary means of identification.
1905 – U.S. Military adopts the use of fingerprints – soon
thereafter, police agencies began to
adopt the use of fingerprints

1908 – The first official fingerprint card was developed

1924 – Formation of ID Division of FBI

1980 – First computer data base of fingerprints was

developed, which came to be known as the
Automated Fingerprint Identification System, (AFIS). In the
present day, there are nearly
70 million cards, or nearly 700 million individual
fingerprints entered in AFIS.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND- PHLIPPINE
SETTING
• * Mr. Jones was the first to teach fingerprints in the Philippine Constabulary sometime
in the year 1990.
• * The Bureau of Prisons, in the year 1918, records shows that fingerprints already
existed in the “carpetas”.
• * L. Asa N. Darby, under his management during the re-occupation of the Philippines by
the American Forces, a modern and fingerprint file has been established in the
Philippine Commonwealth.
• * Mr. Generoso Reyes was the first Filipino Fingerprint technician employed by the
Philippine Constabulary.
• * Capt. Thomas Dugan of New York City Police Department and Flaviano G. Guerro of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, gave the first examinations for
fingerprint in 1937.
• * People of the Philippines vs. Medina, 59, Phil.330 of December 23, 1933 was the first
conviction based on fingerprint and led to the judicial decision in the Philippine
jurisprudence.
• * Plaridel Educational Institution (PEI), now the Philippine College of Criminology(PCCR),
Manila id the first governmental recognized school to teach the science of fingerprints
and other police science.
 FINGERPRINT
Is an impression design by the ridges on
the inside last joint of the finger or any
smooth surface through media or an ink
sweat or any rigid capable of producing
visibility.
 Fingerprint characteristics and
formation
Dogmatic Principles of Fingerprints

1. Principle of constancy- The papillary ridges

are immutable, perennial or individual for the
third month of the embryonic period till
decomposition sets in after death
2. Principle of Variation- That no two prints of
the different persons nor neighbouring fingers
of the same person have ever been found to
be identical in all respects
3. Principle of infallibility- that man’s fingerprint
cannot be changed
 2 distinct layers of skin
1. Epidermis or cuticle- the outer layer, several
thick and has an external layer of dead cells
that is constantly shed from the surface
2. Dermis- inner layer, composed of a network
collagen and elastic fibers, blood vessels,
nerves, fat lobules and the bases of hair
follicles and sweat gland
• The interface between the epidermis and
dermis is extremely irregular and consists of a
succession of papillae or finger like projections
which are smallest where the skin is thin and
longest in the skin of palms and soles. The
papillae of the palms and soles are associated
with elevations of the epidermis, which
produces ridges that are the basis of for
fingerprint classification.
 Two Main Layers of the Epidermis
• Stratum Corneum- covers the surface of the
ridges on fingers and toes
• Stratum Mucosum- is just beneath the covering
surface. It is folded so as to form ridges which
corresponds to the surface ridges. Generally, no
permanent defacing results this is bruised or
slightly cut. If however a more serious injury
inflicted, thereby damaging the stratum
mucosum, a permanent scar will appear.
A. STRATUM CORNEUM – it consist of 25-30 layers of stratified [layered]
squamus [flattened] dead keratinocytes [skin cells] that are constantly
shed.
B. STRATUM LUCIDUM – is present in thick skin [lips, soles of feet, and
palms of hands] Little or no cell detail is visible.
C. STRATUM GRANULOSUM – it consists 3-4 layers of cell thick consisting of
flattened keratinocytes. At this level, the cell are dying.
D. STRATUM SPINOSUM –these are several layers thick, consisting mostly
of keratinocytes. Together with the stratum basale, it is sometimes referred
to as the Malpighian Layer [living Layer].
E. STRATUM BASALE – A single layer of cells in contact with the basement
membrane. These cells are mitotically active – they are alive and
reproducing – the reason why it is often referred to as the generating layer.
E. 1. keratinocytes [90%] = responsible for waterproofing and toughening the skin.
E. 2. Melanocytes [8%] = synthesize the pigment melanin which absorbs and disperses ultra
violet radiation .
E. 3. Tactile cells = very sparse and function in touch reception.
E. 4. Nonpigmented granular dendrocytescells that = inges bacteria and foreign debris.
 FRICTION SKIN

Is the epidermal hairless skin found on the lower surface of

the hands and feet covered with minute ridges.
 Two Component Part of the Friction
Skin
1. Friction ridges
is a raised portion of the epidermis on the
fingers and toes, the palm of the hand or the
sole of the foot, consisting of one or more
connected ridge units of the friction ridge
skin. These are sometimes known as
"epidermal ridges"
2. Furrows
Are the canals or depressions found between
the ridges. They appear as white lines in an
inked finger impression
 FINGEPRINT PATTERNS
Three major groups of families of pattern
These are:

1. ARCH
2. LOOP
3. Whorl
ARCH
 Plain Arch

• Is the pattern in which the ridges flow from

one side to the other without recurving
usually having a slight upward curved in the
center, giving the appearance of the arch.
 Tented Arch

• Is a pattern in which the ridges flow from

one side to the order without recurving, but
differ from plain arches, as the ridges rise in
the center, giving the pattern the
appearance
LOOP
 Radial Loop

• Is one which the downward slant of ridges or

ridge is from the little finger toward the
thumb or radius bone.
 Ulnar Loop

• Is one which the downward slant of the

ridge or ridges is from the thumb toward the
little finger or ulna bone.
WHORL
 Plain Whorl

• Is a pattern in which the ridges form a series

of circles or spirals the core axis.
 Central Pocket
Loop

• Are those pattern in which most of the

ridges represent the pattern known as loop.
But where one or more ridges within such
loop or those surrounding the core recurve
somewhat like a spiral so as to be at right
single line
 Double Loop

• Is a pattern consisting of two separate loop

formation, with two separate and distinct
sets of shoulder, and two deltas
 Accidental

• Are those patterns in which two or more of

different types of patterns are represented
except the plain arch.