HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

OF FORENSIC SCIENCE IN
INDIA AND WORLD.
SUBMITTED BY:
Salina Chalana
Roll no. 57/10
INTRODUCTION
With the advancement in science and technology the
concept of crime as well as the methods adopted by
criminals in its commission have undergone a
phenomenal change.
On one hand the intelligent criminal has been quick to
exploit science for his criminal acts, on the other hand
the investigator is no longer able to rely on age
old art of interrogation and methods to detect crime.
In this context forensic science has found its
existence.
MEANING
Forensic science is the scientific method of
gathering and examining information about the past.
This is especially important in law enforcement
where forensics is done in relation to criminal or
civil law, but forensics are also carried out in other
fields, such as astronomy, archaeology, biology and
geology to investigate ancient times.
According to Hall Dillon, The word forensic
means pertaining to the law; forensic science
resolves legal issues by applying scientific
principles to them.


ANCIENT HISTORY
Archimedes is considered as the father of forensic
science. He had found out that a crown was not made
of gold, (as it was falsely claimed) by its density and
buoyancy.
After Archimedes, another early forensic science
application was done by Soleiman, an Arabic
merchant of the 7th century. He used fingerprints as a
proof of validity between debtors and lenders.


ANCIENT HISTORY (CONTD.)
In seventh century BC, Agnivesa Charaka Samhita,
an Indian Medicine Treatise, was composed.
Shushruta Samhita was composed between 200 and
300 AD and its chapters concerning forensic
medicine in no way inferior to modern knowledge on
the subject.
In the 700s, the Chinese also used the fingerprint
concept.
The first document that mentions the use of Forensics
in legal matters is the book Xi Yuan Ji Lu (translated
as Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified) written in
1248.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
Pathology (1540s) - In the 1540s the French doctor
Ambroise Pare laid the foundations for modern
forensic pathology through his study of trauma
on human organs. He systematically studied the
effects of violent death on internal organs. Writings
on this topic began to appear in late 18
th
century.
Toxicology (1800s) - Matheiu Orfila is known as the
father of modern toxicology. In the early part of the
19th century he established in Paris methods of
scientific chemical analysis of poison, which are in
use even today.


HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
In India, during the nineteenth century, the cases of
death due to poisoning posed a problem to the law
enforcement agencies. The first Chemical Examiner's
Laboratory was, therefore, set up at the then Madras
Presidency, under the Department of Health, during
1849. Later, similar laboratories were set up at
Calcutta (1853), followed by one each at Agra (1864)
and Bombay (1870).
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
Ballistics (1820s) - Eugene Francois pioneered the
first use of ballistics and began taking plaster casts of
shoe imprints.
Henry Goddard at Scotland Yard perfected the
science of ballistics and pioneered the use of bullet
comparison in 1835.
In India, in 1930, an Arms Expert was appointed and
a small ballistic laboratory was set up under the
Calcutta Police to deal with the examination of
firearms.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
Anthropometry (1879) - In 1879, Alphonse Bertillon
of France, developed the science of Anthropometry
i.e. a systemic procedure of taking a series of body
measurements to distinguish one individual from
another.
In India, the identification of criminals was done by
remembering their faces by the police. With the
invention of photography, the CID started
maintaining the records of the criminals using the
photographs.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
With the invention of Bertillon's anthropometric
system in 1879, India, adapted this system of
personnel identification and thus an Anthropometric
Bureau, for maintaining anthropometric records of
criminals, was established in 1892 at Calcutta.
Fingerprints (1892) - Sir William Herschel was one
of the first to advocate the use of fingerprinting in the
identification of criminal suspects while working for
the Indian Civil Services.




HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
Francis Galton undertook the first systematic study of the
fingerprint and developed a methodology of classifying
the fingerprints.
In 1892, he published a book on fingerprints giving a
sound statistical proof of uniqueness of individualization
through fingerprints.
In India, Henry approached the Government to seek
approval for replacing the anthropometric data by
fingerprints for the identification of habitual criminals.
The first fingerprint bureau in India opened at Calcutta in
July 1897.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
Serology (1901) - Karl Landsteiner in 1901
discovered that blood could be grouped into different
categories.
In 1910, Dr. Leone Lattes of Italy devised a
procedure for determining the blood group of dried
bloodstains and immediately adopted this technique
for criminal investigation.
In India Serology Department was established in
Calcutta in 1910 and its name was changed to Office
of the Serologist and Chemical Examiner after
independence.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
Principle of Exchange (1910)- Edmund Locard is
responsible for this famous principle forming the
basis of modern forensic science.
Its states that every contact leaves a trace.
This formed the foundation of trace evidence
collection and analysis for over a century and still
plays a central role in 21
st
century forensic science.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
(CONTD.)
DNA Profiling (1984) - Sir Alec Jeffery developed a
science of DNA profiling and found that every
human being has a unique DNA structure. He
realized the scope of DNA fingerprinting, which uses
variations in the genetic code to identify individuals.
In India, the first Forensic DNA Typing facility was
established at CFSL, Calcutta, during 1998. The
implementation of this state of the art technique
represents significant advancements in the forensic
biology in the country.