Forensic Science Development Quiz

Definition and Scope of Forensic Science

• Forensic science is the application of science to law.
• As societies become more complex, laws become more important.
• Scientific knowledge and technology are increasingly used to define and enforce these laws.
• Examples include food safety regulations, drug control, environmental protection, automobile emissions, and water purity.
• Forensic science is crucial for effective monitoring and enforcement of these regulations.
• Legal systems rely on science to detect and prevent crime.
• The scientific community is consulted due to the growing need for technical support in crime investigations.
• Forensic science doesn't provide definitive solutions to complex social and psychological factors but plays a necessary role.
• It provides accurate and objective information reflecting events at a crime scene.
• The broad scope of forensic science makes it difficult to encompass all its facets in a single introductory text.
• Forensic science is the application of scientific techniques to criminal and civil cases pursued by law enforcement.
• This encompasses various professions assisting law enforcement.
• The American Academy of Forensic Science is the largest global forensic science organization with 11 sections.
• These sections represent specialization like criminalistics. digital and multimedia, engineering, general, and jurisprudence.

Forensic Science History and Development

• Forensic science's roots extend back centuries with evidence of casework in third-century China.
• Ancient civilizations used observational skills and basic scientific principles.
• In 1775, Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele developed arsenic detection methods.
• Mathieu Orfila, a Spaniard, is considered the father of forensic toxicology.
• He published the first treatise on detecting poisons in 1814.
• Advances in microscopy, chemistry, and photography were valuable later developments.

Late 19th Century Forensic Progress

• Public officials began to systematically apply scientific disciplines to crime-related investigations in the 1800s
• Alphonse Bertillon developed anthropometry, a system for personal identification based on body measurements (1879).
• Thomas Taylor from the U.S. and Henry Faulds suggested using fingerprints for identification
• Francis Galton conducted the first detailed study of fingerprints and established a classification method published in 1892
• Hans Gross published the first comprehensive treatise on the uses of science to solve crimes (1893), which helped the field.

20th Century Scientific Advancement

• Karl Landsteiner's blood typing discovery in 1901 was a significant step in forensic science.
• Leone Lattes utilized this in criminal investigations in 1915
• Albert Osborn's work on document examination in 1910 provided fundamental principles crucial to the acceptance of documents as scientific evidence.
• Edmond Locard's exchange principle of evidence transfer (1910) stated when two objects touch, materials are exchanged connecting the suspect and victim.
• Microscopy techniques further developed in the 20th century.
• Walter McCrone revolutionized forensic microscopy.
• Calvin Goddard's work with firearms and the comparison microscope in firearms examination contributed to the field.

Modern Scientific Advances

• Computerized databases improved the analysis of evidence such as fingerprints, bullet casings, and DNA.
• Forensic DNA typing, developed in 1984 by Sir Alec Jeffreys, enhanced the ability to identify suspects through biological evidence.
• This has revolutionized the field.
• Advanced lab techniques like chromatography and spectroscopy are useful in modern crime scene analysis.