Historical Individuals Forensic Science

Mathieu Orfila (1787 – 1853)

Considered to be the father of forensic toxicology

Teacher of medicine in France

1814 published first scientific papers on the detection of poisons and their effects on animals

Alphonse Bertillon (1853 – 1914):

First scientific system of personal identification… began as a series of body measurements…eventually replaced by fingerprinting in the early 1900’s

Francis Galton (1822 – 1911)

First definitive studying of fingerprints and classification of fingerprints…published first book stating their uniqueness

Leon Lattes (1887 – 1954)

Using Dr. Karl Landsteiners discovery of different blood groups…Lattes determined methods for the identifying of individuals using the blood group of a dried bloodstain…applied to criminal investigations

Calvin Goddard (1891 – 1955)

Refined techniques and equipment (comparison microscope) for examining bullets fired from guns

Albert S. Osborn (1858 – 1946)

Developed methods for document examination….responsible for the acceptance of this type of evidence in the court system

Walter C. McCrone (1916 – 2002)

Expertise in using microscopes…advocate for the admission of microscopic evidence into the court systems…one of the first Forensic Instructors

Hans Gross (1847 – 1915)

First to publish papers on the application of scientific disciplines to the field of criminal investigations…papers detailed how microscopy, chemistry, physics, mineralogy, zoology, botany,anthropology and fingerprinting could be used in criminal investigations

Public prosecutor / Advocate of using the scientific method to solve crimes

Started first professional Forensic Science journal to report on advance of scientific crime detection

Edmond Locard (1877 – 1966)

Demonstrated how Gross’s ideas could actually be used in a crime lab…established one of the first crime

laboratories

Founder of the Institute of Criminalistics at the University of Lyons (France)

Locard’s belief that when a criminal came in contact with an object or person…a cross-transfer

LOCARD’S EXCHANGE PRINCIPLE

The exchange of materials between two objects that occurs whenever two objects come in contact with one another