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A Reflection Paper in MSCJ 207

(The Microscope)

Submitted by: Ms. Jerine A. Pueblo, RCrim

Submitted to: Prof. German B. Guaza, PhD.Crim

Date of Submission: Oct. 31, 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Pages

Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Introduction 3

Body Paragraph 4-6

Conclusion 7
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Introduction

This paper is the reflection of my learnings on the topic of Chapter 8 which

is the Microscope. This topic highlighted the importance of microscope in the field

of criminalistics and criminal investigation. A microscope is used to evaluate

evidence gathered at a crime scene that may contain information that is not

accessible to the naked eye.

Furthermore, this paper will also emphasized that microscope is really

important for forensic scientist. Microscopes are utilized extensively in today's

forensic laboratories. They are necessary while looking for proof. They make it

easier for the examiner to locate and compare trace evidence. Forensic scientists

utilize a range of microscopes in their investigations due to the variety of physical

evidence, for example to connect a bullet to the gun it was shot from, a forensic

weapons examiner checks the minute striations on it using microscopes.

Moreover, some of the topics in this chapter includes the components of a

compound microscope, define magnification, field of view, working distance, and

depth of focus, and describe the characteristics of a comparative microscope,

characteristics and applications of a stereoscopic microscope. This will also

discuss further the topics on how a polarizing microscope is used to describe

objects, how a micro spectrophotometer may be used to look at things, explain

what a scanning electron microscope and how forensic palynology is utilized to

connect a crime scene as well as a person or object

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Body Paragraph

It was stressed that a microscope is an optical tool that magnifies

and resolves fine details of an object using a lens or a combination of lenses. To

analyse the structure and composition of materials, the first methods for

assessing physical evidence in crime laboratories depended almost entirely on

the microscope. Even the introduction of contemporary analytical apparatus and

methodologies has had no effect on the microscope's utility in forensic analysis. If

anything, the introduction of the powerful scanning electron microscope promises

to offer a new level to forensic research that was previously unachievable within

the confines of the standard microscope.

A single lens called a magnifying glass was the first and most rudimentary

microscope. Things appear larger than they are while using a portable

magnifying glass because light rays are refracted, or distorted, as they go from

the air into the glass and back into the air. The expanded image appears when

you look through the lens. A virtual picture is one that can only be observed via a

lens and not directly. A real picture, such as one projected onto a cinema screen,

may be viewed immediately.

Several types of light microscopes include compound microscope optical

principles into their basic architecture. Microscopes such as the compound

microscope, comparative microscope, stereoscopic microscope, polarizing

microscope, and micro spectrophotometer are among the best for investigating

forensic specimens. Each microscope lens is labelled with a number that shows

its magnification capacity. The outcome of the magnifying glasses will be the total

magnification of the picture viewed by the microscopist.

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While a novice microscopist may be tempted to use the highest

magnification power available to study a specimen, an expert microscopist

evaluates a number of important factors before making a decision. The first

consideration must be the size of the specimen area, or field of view, that the

examiner wishes to analyse. As the magnification power increases, the field of

view narrows.

As a result, it's best to start with a low magnification to acquire a good

overall view of the specimen before moving up to a higher magnification to

examine a small portion of the specimen in more detail.

In addition, forensic microscopy usually demands side-by-side

comparisons of specimens. The comparative microscope consists of two

independent objective lenses joined to a single ocular lens by an optical bridge.

The things under investigation are visible side by side in a circular region that is

evenly split into two halves when seen via the comparison microscope's ocular

lens. The numerical aperture of each objective lens is etched, as are the powers

of the objective and eyepiece lenses (N.A.). The numerical aperture value of an

objective lens determines its ability to resolve information into discrete images

rather than a single blurred image.

Also highlighted is the evolution of the comparative microscope. It is

supposed to have provided a side-by-side magnified view of bullets to the

weapon examiner, signaling the start of contemporary weapons inspection, and

so on.
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The stereoscopic microscope is made up of two monocular compound

microscopes that are spaced and positioned correctly to provide the spectator a

three-dimensional image of a specimen through both eyepiece lenses. Because

of its extended working distance, it's perfect for microscopic examination of huge,

heavy items.

The scanning electron microscope uses an electron beam instead of light

to bombard a specimen, resulting in a massively magnified image with

magnifications. X-ray emissions can be used to explain components present in

the material under investigation when electrons are bombarded on the

specimen's surface.

The refractive index information can be used to detect minerals in soil

samples or a manufactured fiber. A spectrophotometer and a light microscope

are combined in the micro spectrophotometer. While examining a specimen

under a microscope, the examiner can get the optical absorption spectra of the

material being researched.

The term "forensic palynology" refers to the collection and analysis of

pollen and spores linked with crime scenes, illegal behavior, or terrorism. Pollen

and spore evidence has previously been used to find human remains and hidden

burial sites, determine the season or time of death of a victim, pinpoint the source

locations of illegal drugs, link a suspect or object to a crime scene or a victim,

establish or disprove a suspect's alibi, include or exclude suspects, track the past

whereabouts of an item or suspect, and so on. Finally, it is said that collecting

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forensic pollen evidence is critical in order to limit the destruction or

contamination of pollen evidence.

Conclusion

I concluded that the microscope remains a vital instrument for examining

minute quantities of evidence. To find, isolate, identify, and compare samples,

forensic experts utilize a microscope. Comparative investigations of paint,

physical matching, questioned papers, and impression evidence are also

possible.

Furthermore, Microscopes are significant in forensic criminalistics

examinations because they assist professionals in scrutinizing bits of evidence in

a number of ways. Microscopes are extremely useful in the criminal justice

system for identifying, investigating, and prosecuting criminal crimes since

physical evidence is so important. While the microscope's major advantage is

that it may be used to identify materials, it can also be used for comparison. The

microscope gives information about the sample's morphological, optical,

chemical, and physical characteristics at a greater magnification.

Taking everything into account microscopes are frequently used to identify

and compare fibrous evidence such as human and animal hair, man-made and

natural fibers, and other fibrous evidence. In the quest for proof, a microscope is

essential. It can aid in the identification and comparison of trace evidence by the

examiner. Microscopes symbolize forensic science, much as scales of justice

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reflect trace evidence examiners. It can be used to figure out what chemical

qualities different kinds of evidence have. Finally, using microscope forensic

samples may be identified and compared.