SAINT JOSEPH COLLEGE OF SINDANGAN INCORPORATED

Poblacion, Sindangan, Zamboangadel Norte,

7112 Philippines
Email add: stjoseph_68@yahoo.com.phWebsite: sjcsi.edu.ph
Telefax No. (065) 224-2710 or Tel. No. (065) 224-2110/ (065) 224-2602

Module I
Fundamental of Personal Identification
By: Mr. Gilbert O. Acain, RC Mscrim (CAR)

Introduction
______________________________________________________________________________

Module 1 discusses the basic identification of fingerprint. Method used to identify the
fingers, palm and soles. It also deal other sciences that check for personal identification.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of Module 1, you are expected to achieve the following.

a. Learn the ridges characteristics in the fingers, palm and soles.

b. Familiarize system used in identification.
c. To know the other sciences that deals in matters of fingerprint.
A. DACTYLOSCOPY

It deals with the study of fingerprint. Dactyl means finger. This is the method of
identifying persons through ridges characteristics existing in the fingers, palm and
soles of the human foot.

B. METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION

1. Bertillon System

This method was developed by Alphonse Bertillon, a French anthropologist, born

April 24, 1853 in Paris. This system measures the body measurement as a means of
identification. The theory states that “if a man reaches the age of twenty year old, he has
already developed a permanent body structure thus it will enable the investigator to
measure fully the body and put it on record.

In 1870, Alphonse Bertillon devised a system to measure and records the

dimensions of certain bony parts of the body. These measurement were reduced to a
formula which, theoretically, would apply only to one person and would not change
during his/her adult life.
The Bertillon System, named after its inventor, Alphonse Bertillon, was generally
accepted for thirty (30) years. But never recorded from the events of 1903, when a named
Will West was sentenced to the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas. There was
already a prisoner on the penitentiary at the time whose Bertillon measurements were
nearly exact, and his name was William West. Upon an investigation there were indeed
two men. They look exactly alike, but were allegedly not related. Their Bertillon
measurements were closed enough to identify them as the same person. However, a
fingerprint comparison quickly and correctly identified them as two different people.

2. Odontology

This system measures the teeth structure as a means of identification.

Investigators usually resort to this identification system in cases where a skull or skeletal
remains are found and no other means of identification can be established.
It utilized in the identification of persons whose cadaver is beyond recognition by
comparing the record of their dentition (set of teeth). Those victims of arsons or any fore
incident, disasters on sea and other related incidents that there is no possible means of
identification since teeth are not easily destroyed or decomposed, it is the last recourse in
identifying a persons.
3. Hair

Hair examinations is one oldest forms of physical evidence. It is used to

determine the following:
a. If a suspects hair originates from human or animals;
b. If from human, what part of the body did it comes from.

In criminal investigation hair can be used as personal identification, the presence

of hair at the crime scene or at the victim may link to the suspect. Especially when there
is commotion at the crime scene, the possibility of transfer of hair at the victim is
possible, transferred is directly from the body from which it originates, this is called
primary transfer.
There are three layers of hair: the medulla which is the innermost canal, the
cortex that surrounds the medulla, and the cuticle as the outermost layer of the hair.
Comparing with the animal hair, human hair is most often circular that of an animal hair.
Additionally the medulla of human hair is generally narrow with less than a third
diameter of the entire shaft, while the animal hair the diameter of the medulla is larger
than the diameter of the entire shaft.
In the human body, there are six different types of hair: head hair, eyebrow and
eyelash hair, beard and moustache hair, body hair, pubic hair, and auxiliary hair.
Animals also have different hair, the coarse guard hair external to softer fur hairs.
4. Blood

Blood usually spilled in most crimes involving violence and it may be shed by the
criminal while committing other crimes. It is best specimen for testing alcoholic sobriety
examinations. It is also used for disputed paternity cases.
The Luminol test- the most widely used method for finding invisible blood is
through the use of chemical developer such as Luminol. The Luminol react with the iron
complex in the blood hemoglobin to produce a self-luminescence. I.E. The bloodstain
literally glow in the dark with faint bluish light.
The amount of catalyst necessary for the reaction to occur is a very small relative
to the amount of luminol, allowing the detection of even trace amounts of blood. The
bluish glow only last for 30nseconds. Detecting the glow requires a fairly dark room. Any
glow detected may be documented by a long exposure photograph.
The Luminol test is extremely sensitive, and is capable of detecting bloodstains
dilutes up to 300, 00 times. For this reason, spraying large areas such as carpets, walls,
flooring, or the interior of a vehicle may reveal blood traces or patterns that would have
gone unnoticed under normal lighting conditions. In addition, it will interfere with any
subsequent DNA testing that may be carried out in a forensic laboratory.
The Kastle-Mayer Color Test – uses a solution of phenolphthalein and hydrogen
peroxide on a piece of filter paper, and when blood of any quantity is present, turns pink.
However, it also turns pink in the presence of potatoes or horseradish, so care must be
 taken in the scene. Sometimes microcrystalline tests is also performed. The two most
often used are Takayama test and the Teichmann test. Both add specific chemicals to the
blood to make it form crystals with hemoglobin derivatives. These test are also sensitive
to other materials that may be present in a bloodstain.

Takayama- is a crystal test used for the confirmation of the presence of blood on
samples that screened positive with LMG. Hemochromogens are compound of ferro
(iron) protoporphyrin in which the residual valences of heme complex are occupied by
nitrogenous bases (e.g. pyridine).

5. Fingerprint

This system of identification proved to be of great help not only in identification

of criminals but also as a means of personal identification and identification of the
unknown deceased which has been proven to be very effective.
It is the most positive means of personal identification. It has been found out that
the intricate patterns on the fingers, are permanent individual and never undergo a natural
change, except in the size of the pattern during the life time of individual.
Friction skin patterns/designs/formations appear on the finger tips, palms of the
hands and soles of the feet five months before birth these remained unchanged during the
life of individual until decomposition sets in after death.

6. DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid is another method of identifying persons by means of

molecule that carries the hereditary materials in humans. Every cell in a person`s
body has the same DNA. DNA has a four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine
(G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).

C. ALLIED SCIENCES THAT EMBRACES DACTYLOSCOPY

1. Podoscopy

The science of identification through friction ridge characteristic existing on the

sole of the human foot. Ridge characteristic on the fingers will be the same as the ridge
characteristics found on the sole of the human foot.

2. Chiroscopy

The papillary ridges identification on the palms of the hand. There are parts of
palm: the Hypo Thenar Area, Base Area, and Thenar Area. Formations of ridges existing
on the different parts of the palm may form according to its characteristics. On Hypo
Thenar Area are formations of ridges such as Forms of Arch, Form of Loop, Form of
 Circle, Form of Mixture, and Form of Wall. On the Base Area, there are only two
formations of ridges, the Pattern of between Finger and Delta Loop, Form of Circle,
Form of Mixture, and Form of Ladder may exists. These formations are being studied and
identified as basis for the absolute identification of person.

3. Poroscopy

Poroscopy is the term applied to a specialized study of pore structure found on

the papillary ridges of the skin as means of identification. The pore sets on top of the
ridge. Its physical purpose is to provide a liquid cooling system for the exterior of the
human body. Various types of waste are carried with the liquid that is expelled through
the pore during this cooling process. The palmer surfaces, palms and finger, and the
plantar surfaces, soles of the feet and the toes, have an average of 2700 pores per square
inch of ridge friction skin surface. This compares to approximately 400 pores per square
inch of the balance of the body`s skin surface. These pores help differentiate the ridges
used in comparison, to ‘incipient ridges” that appear between the ridges used for
identification.

The basis used for the comparison using pores is based on the different shapes,
sizes, distance from each other, and the distance from edges. This comparison principle is
essentially the same that is used in the comparison of latent using” Galton details”. Roughly,
there are nine to eighteen pores per centimeter of ridge.

Dr. Edmond Locard, a French Criminologist, first practiced poroscopy. He is

reported to have made the first identification based o poroscopy in 1912. Cpl. David Ashbaugh
of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police later examined the chart Locard has made for this trial.
Ashbaugh later wrote,” The print that Locard illustrated contained a large number of minutiae
detail which would have been sufficient for identification”. The case was commented on by
Capt. Douglas E. Walsh of the Fort Worth Police Department. Walsh had spoken to the
International Association for Identification at its annual convention in Fort Worth in 1939.

Regarding the case of Captain Douglas, he remarks that 1,000 pores would
sufficient. Mathematically, in our minds, compare an area of 1,000 pores to the possibly 2,700
pores per square inch of ridge friction skin surface. This figure out to be 0.37 square inches of
ridges friction skin surface. This area would be a rectangle one inch by (approx.) three-eighths of
an inch. I would think a number of “minutiae” for identification could be found in such area,
especially of one had perfectly developed latent and a perfectly rolled inked impression card to
compare with it for high accuracy.
Learning Activity

Instructions:

1. Answer the given questions below.

2. Use a Long bond paper./ YELLOW PAD
3. Answers should be made in handwritten form.
4. Make sure to indicate your full name (family name first), your course, year level, block,
5. Avoid ERASURES.
6. MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS.
7. Good luck, God bless, and be safe.

Identify the following.

1. A French Criminologist, first practiced poroscopy.

2. ______ is the term applied to specialized study of pore structure found on the papillary
ridges of the skin as means of identification.
3. The papillary ridges identification on the palms of the hand.
4. The science of identification through friction ridge characteristics existing on the sole of
the human foot.
5. Method of identifying person by means of molecule that carries the hereditary materials.
6. Is a crystal test used for the confirmation of the presence of blood on samples that screed
positive with LMG.
7. A test uses a solution of phenolphthalein and hydrogen peroxide on a piece of filter paper,
and when blood is present it turns pink.
8. A method of detecting invisible blood through the use of chemical called Luminol.
9. A type of test to detect bloodstain dilutes up to 300,000 times.
10. The color that last for 30 seconds in using the Luminol test for detecting blood.
11. Using this evidence is used to locate if it is originated from human or animal and basically
the oldest forms of physical evidence.
12. This system measures the teeth structure as a means of identification.
13. It utilized in the identification of persons whose cadaver is beyond recognition by
comparing the record of their dentition.
14. This system measures the body measurement as a means of identification.
15. The name of your instructor in this subject Fundamental of Personal Identification?

References:

Handbook in Personal Identification Techniques by: Ariel L. Ayusip et al, 2019

John Edgar Hoover, The Science of Fingerprint Classification and Uses, USDJ, Federal Bureau
of Investigation, (1984)