CHAPTER X. 



FORENSIC MICROSCOPY. 



1. The Microscope in Law. — In a court of law where 

 questions of li^e and death may hang upon the nature 

 of a blood-stain or the genuineness of a document, the 

 microscopist is often called in to study the minuter 

 structures of disputed objects. The identification of 

 persons by the anthropometric system of Bertillon may 

 be supplemented to advantage by a detailed examination 

 of the ridges upon the fingers. The detection of human 

 blood is greatly facilitated by microscopical methods. 

 In sexual cases the presence of spermatozoa may be 

 easily determined under the microscope. Low powers 

 aid in the study of bullet-wounds with respect to the 

 distance and direction from which the shot was fired, 

 the powder used, etc. The examination of documents, 

 as regards the paper and writing utensil used, the 

 presence of erasures or alterations, and the character- 

 istics of the handwriting, is an important field for 

 microscopy. 



2. The Examination of Blood Stains. — Frequently the 

 expert is asked to decide as to the character of blood- 

 stains upon clothing, furniture, etc., stains often of minute 



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