I. ORIGIN -
The Chinese are believed to be the first to use finger impressions
in token for exchange of some deed or title but they did not
use it for identification purposes. Marcello Malphigi of Italy
and Johannes Evangelist Purkinje of Germany are said to be the
earliest scientists who discovered that the fingerprints had
ridges which had certain well defined patterns.
However it was Sir William Herschell, an ICS and an Administrative
Officer of Hoogly district of Bengal who started the practice
of putting thumb-impressions on important documents to discourage
the system of cheating. Further contribution on this matter
was made by Dr. Henry Faulds of Scotland who published his accounts
in 1905 in "Guide To-Fingerprint Identification".
Sir Francis Galton in 1890 concluded that the patterns of the
fingers remain static from birth to death He also said that
the ridge characteristics on the fingers of an individual were
personal. His works were further improved upon in 1899 by Sir
Edward Richard Henry and ICS who as IGP of Bengal found Herschell's
finger print system and the next year published his book "Classification
and uses of Finger Prints". It was due to his efforts that
fingerprints and their identification became one of the key
tools of identification.
II. FINGER IMPRESSIONS -
They are taken of the first or top most joint or phalange of
the fingers and the thumb which contain elevated lines running
almost parallel to one another in different patterns, called
ridges. The open space between the ridges is called the depression
or furrow.
III. RIDGE CHARACTERISTICS -
The examination of an inked impression will show that all ridges
are not continuous and are different shapes and sizes. They
have been termed as follows-
Bifurcation or Fork
Islands
Ridge Termination
Cross-Over
Short Ridge
Dot
Hook
Core
Type
Lines
Delta
IV. PATTERNS -
The patterns that appear on the bulb of the fingers and thumbs
are in the negative form but when the impressions are affixed,
they print in the reverse direction which may be termed as
positives.
a). ARCH - They are of two
types-
Plain
Tented
b). LOOP - They are of the
following types-
Radial
Ulnar
Nutant
c). WHORL - They include-
Plain
Central Pocket Loop
Twinned Loop
Lateral Pocket Loop
d). COMPOSITE OR ACCIDENTAL
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