Section III., 19i3. [79] Trans. R.S.G. 



Stereom icrography. 

 G. P. GiRDwooD, M.D., F.R.S.C. * 



(Read May 28, 1913) 



The objects in view in these few remarks are to bring the art of 

 stereomicrography before the Society and to point out to what uses it 

 may be applied. 



It frequently occurs in cases of forgery that the question arises 

 where some part of the handwi'iting is found to cross over another 

 portion and it may become necessary to determine which ink is super- 

 ficial, the superficial ink being that which is of later date writing, 

 indicating that the superficial ink was wi'itten after the under layer 

 of ink. Such a case may be where a draft or a cheque has been 

 raised by interpolating a word, or a figure, or the tracing of a signature 

 whereon one ink has inadvertently flowed over some line previously 

 written, examples of which are given. In such a case a microstereo- 

 graph would at once show which line was superficial and thei-efore 

 written last, because if superficial, it must be above the other, and there- 

 fore written after the other. 



Instances of this are given in the series of microphotographs. 

 These are made in the different conditions. A gentleman gave his 

 friend some notes, one of which was made out for five hundred and odd 

 dollars, the word five being wi'itten with a small ''f." After the friend 

 had signed the note it was taken away and the word "Forty" inter- 

 polated in front of the word five, and by accident the tail of the ''y" 

 crossed inadvertently the tail of the "f," also inadvertently the word 

 Forty was wi'itten in copying ink, which dries with a gloss on the surface. 

 This gloss not mixing with the dry ink underneath revealed the differ- 

 ence in the upper and lower inks; also the difference of surface and the 

 difference in the two inks were revealed by examination with the 

 microscope. But to make more certain, the crossings, under the above 

 circumstances, were imitated and then stereomicrographs were made 

 and copies printed, and under the stereoscope they show clearly which 

 ink is superficial, the conditions being — the word five wi'itten and 

 allowed to dry and the word Forty wi'itten so that the tail of the ''y" 

 crosses on to the "f" and allowed to dry. The reverse — the word Forty 

 written first and then allowed to dry, and then the word five afterwards 

 and also allowed to dry. Then the two words were written one after the 

 other and both words blotted off as soon as written and allowed to dry. 



