History of Forensic Science Research based on Miami-Dade County Website

What is forensic science? Previously “legal medicine” was the term used for the application of medical knowledge to the investigation of a crime. Now we call it “forensic science” – Forensic refers to the use of material in a court of law

Where did forensic science start? Ancient Roman times – Et Tu Brute? The Chinese book Hsi Duan Yu (The Washing Away of Wrongs), which appeared in 1248, provided the first association of medicine and law. – The book offered useful advice, such as distinguishing drowning (water in the lungs) and strangulation (pressure marks on the throat and damaged cartilage in the neck) from death by natural causes.

Where did forensic science start? The first appearance of experts in the courtroom was documented around the end of the 18th century. The emergence of modern chemistry around that period led to discoveries which were applicable to crime investigation and detection.

Important Cases in History: One of the first celebrated cases in forensic science involved the 'father of toxicology', Mathieu Orfila ( ), who worked in Paris and testified in an arsenic poisoning criminal trial in Orfila and others had developed a chemical test to detect arsenic, the poison of choice for the period because the symptoms, violent stomach pains and vomiting, were similar to cholera (a common disease of the times) and often went undetected.

Important Cases in History: Alphonse Bertillon's ( ) personal identification system using a series of body and facial measurements for individualization, developed in Dr. Francis Galton's ( ) Fingerprints, published in 1892, was another pioneering contribution to the emerging field of forensic science.

Founder of Forensic Science! Alexandre Lacassagne ( ) has been called the founder of modern forensic science. Lacassagne made many contributions including the first to recognize the significance of the striations etched on a bullet extracted from a murder victim and their link to the gun from which it was fired, thus beginning the science of ballistics.

Founder of Forensic Science! He also was the first to study the relationship between an attack on a victim and the shape and configuration of bloodstains, and was first to recognize the need for adequate means of identifying criminals through a police filing system.

CRIME LABS! First forensic laboratory was set up in France in First crime laboratory in the U.S. was established in 1930 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lab was established in 1932 and in 1937 Paul Kirk ( ) set up the first academic criminalistics program in the U.S. at the University of California.

Current Practice of Forensic Science in U.S. Laboratories Labs test: – Drug Analysis – Trace Evidence analysis Fiber and hair comparison and analysis Paint comparison and analysis Glass comparison and analysis Fire debris and explosives analysis Gun shot residue analysis Tape comparison Soil and building materials comparison and analysis Lamp and filament examinations

Current Practice of Forensic Science in U.S. Laboratories Biology services – Biological fluid identification and species origin – DNA analysis – Bloodstain pattern interpretation Firearms and toolmark identification – Firearm operability – Projectile comparison – Gun powder pattern interpretation – Footwear and tire impression comparison

Current Practice of Forensic Science in U.S. Laboratories Toxicology – Breath and blood alcohol analysis – Urine analysis – Drugs in biological fluids and tissues Fingerprint and latent identification and comparisons Specialized analysis – Computer and data recovery – Voiceprint analysis

What is the future of forensic science? Many possibilities! Currently, scientists are working on making faster, more efficient methods for their lab tests.