Text 3. Fingerprints

Very many books and scientific papers have been published on the subject of fingerprints and the reference to “the prints from man’s hand” can even be found in the Bible.

The first recorded use of fingerprints was by the ancient Assyrians and Chinese for the signing of legal documents. The study of the application of fingerprints for useful forensic purposes was recorded in the latter part of the 17th century when, in 1684, the anatomist Doctor N. Grew published a paper on the subject which he illustrated with drawings of various fingerprints patterns. About the same period, in Italy, Prof. Malpigni was investigating the functions of the skin.

The use of fingerprints for identification purposes was proposed late in the 19th century by the British scientist Sir Francis Galton, who wrote a detailed study of fingerprints in which he presented a new classification system using prints of all ten fingers, which is the basis of identification systems still in use. Subsequently, the use of fingerprinting as a means for identifying criminals spread rapidly throughout Europe and the US, superseding the old system of identification by means of body measurements.

One of the cases involving the use of fingerprints identification was in 1905, when a thumb print left on a cash box at the scene of a murder in Deptford of shopkeepers Mr. and Mrs. Farrow, was identified as belongings to Alfred Stratton, one of two brothers. As a result they were jointly charged with the crime and subsequently hanged.

As crime-detection methods improved, law enforcement officers found that any smooth, hard surface touched by a human hand would yield fingerprints made by the oily secretion present on the skin. When these so-called latent prints were dusted with powder or chemically treated, the identifying fingerprint pattern could be seen and photographed or otherwise preserved. Today, law enforcement agencies can also use computers to digitally record fingerprints and to transmit them electronically to other agencies for comparison. By comparing fingerprints at the scene of a crime with the fingerprint record of suspected persons, officials can establish absolute proof of the presence or identity of a person.

I. Answer the questions.

1. When was the first recorded use of fingerprints?

2. When were they first used for forensic purposes?

3. Who proposed the use of fingerprints for identification purposes?

4. In what way did crime-detection methods improve?

5. How can fingerprints be preserved nowadays?

II. Are these statements true or false according to the text?

1. The first recorded use of fingerprints was by the ancient Egyptians for the signing of legal documents.

2. Sir Francis Galton was the first to study fingerprints.

3. During the 17^th century fingerprints were studied only in Italy.

4. Americans were the first to use fingerprints in crime investigation.

5. Nowadays fingerprints can be preserved digitally.

III. Insert the proper word into the following sentences and explain its meaning with the help of the dictionary.

1. The first recorded use of … was by the ancient Assyrians and Chinese.

2. The study of the … of fingerprints for useful forensic purposes was recorded in the latter part of the 17th century.

3. The use of fingerprints for … purposes was proposed late in the 19th century.

4. The use of fingerprinting as a means for identifying … spread rapidly throughout Europe.

5. Today, law enforcement agencies can also use computers to digitally … fingerprints.

IV. Find a proper definition for the following words.

1) criminal	a) the action or process of identifying someone or something
2) digital	b) set down in writing or some other permanent form for later reference
3) identification	c) involving or relating to the use of computer technology
4) record	d) the action or process of identifying the presence of something concealed
5) detection	e) a person who has committed a crime