CHAPTER X. 
FORENSIC MICROSCOPY. 
1. The Microscope in Law.—In a court of law where 
questions of lie 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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