Forensic Science History Lecture Notes PDF

A Brief History of Forensic Science Ancient History · Little to no evidence-based on confessions (usually coerced)...

A Brief History of Forensic Science Ancient History · Little to no evidence-based on confessions (usually coerced) & eyewitness testimonies (based on Social stature). Torture may have been used Egypt · Law Followed two processes : # of reliable witnesses willing to testify & consultation w oracles (in doubt majority rules) , Removed organs for examination - Post-mortem examination Jewish Religious Law · Ancient Jewish Law did not admit confessions - no torture. Romans · Ancient Roman Law used the Onus of Proof-wealth tied to competence to testify · Roman judiciaries allowed to judge d torture widespread Archimedes - 300-200 BC · Archimedes Principle : Boyancy Force Weight of displaced Fluid European Medieval Law Theory of evidence-grades of proof (case) , formation of Jury considered · , uncertainty (weighing scheme or process of summation of evidence , some torture still used Questiones Medico-legales - Zacchia (17th Century · medical sciences & Forensic medicine ; worked for Papal States (Physician to popes ; eliminated natural causes First ; examined disorders Toxicology-OrFila (18th century) - · Spanish Chemist & founder of toxicology ; developed basic principles of modern medicine pharmacology ;Improved March test for Arsenic (Lafarge Case Anthropometry-Bertilion (1879) for most accurate 42 Identification : Systematic procedure body measurements · - decades ; some methods (mugshot). still used · methods replaced in 1900s - Mona Lisa Stolen (1911) Fingerprinting begun - Lacussagne - 1870-1910 · Precisd Medicine Judeciaire (1878-text) ; "One must know how to doubt" Chair of Medicine Legale de la Facult de Lyon ; Founded Journal Archives de · L'Anthropology i experts in several disciplines Criminelle ; worked (Toxicology, Ballisti,Anthropology a on "between men of a law men of science "Experts are the most important auxiliaries of Investigating an Officer, and in some way or other they nearly always are the main factor in deciding " a case · cases : assassination of president Sadi Carnot & Joseph Vacher  20thCentury · (1983) ; DNA evidence (Tommie DNA Extraction Lee Andrews 1987 ; Colin - PitchFork 1986) , PCR (1993) - Comparison to other Evidence · 2004 Spain Train Bombings ; Fingerprint isolated from detonator · Brandon Mayfield-Jailed for 2 weeks · unscientific approaches