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# Introduction to Criminology: Congruous with CMO No. 05 Series of 2018 (2nd Edition) ## Segment 4. Criminology and Forensic Science **The word forensic** comes from the Latin term *forensis*, meaning "of or before the forum". The history of the term originates from Roman times. During which a cri...

# Introduction to Criminology: Congruous with CMO No. 05 Series of 2018 (2nd Edition) ## Segment 4. Criminology and Forensic Science **The word forensic** comes from the Latin term *forensis*, meaning "of or before the forum". The history of the term originates from Roman times. During which a criminal charge meant presenting the case before a group of public individuals in the forum. Both the person accused of the crime and the accuser would give speeches based on their sides of the story. The case would be decided in favor of the individual with the best argument and delivery. This origin is the source of the two modern usages of the word *forensic*: as a form of legal evidence and as a category of public presentation. In modern use, the term *forensics* in the place of *forensic science* can be considered correct, as the term *forensic* is effectively a synonym for legal or related to courts. However, the term is now so closely associated with the scientific field that many dictionaries include the meaning that equates the word *forensics* with *forensic science*. ### Origins of Forensic Science and Early Methods The ancient world lacked standardized forensic practices which aided criminals in escaping punishment. Criminal investigations and trials heavily relied on forced confessions and witness testimony. However, ancient sources do contain several accounts of techniques that foreshadow concepts in forensic science that were developed centuries later. The first written account of using medicine and entomology to solve criminal cases is attributed to the book of *Xi Yuan Lu* (translated as *Washing Away of Wrongs*) [22, 23], written in China in 1248 by Song Ci (1186–1249) who was a director of justice, jail and supervision during the Song Dynasty. Song Ci ruled regulation about autopsy report for court , how to protect the evidence in the examining process, the reason why workers must show examination to public impartiality. He concluded methods on how to make antiseptic and to reappear the hidden injury from dead bodies and bones (using sunlight under red-oil umbrella and vinegar) , how to calculate the death time (according to weather and insects) , how to wash dead body for examining the different reasons of death. At that time, the book had given methods to distinguish suicide or pretending suicide. **Methods** from around the world involved saliva and examination of the mouth and tongue to determine innocence or guilt, as a precursor to the Polygraph test. In ancient India , some suspects were made to fill their mouths with dried rice and spit it back out. Similarly, in ancient China, those accused of a crime would have rice powder placed in their mouths. ### Development of Forensic Science Ambroise Paré's surgical work laid the groundwork for the development of forensic techniques in the following centuries.