 Fingerprints are impressions of patterns

formed by the papillary or epidermal

ridges of fingertips.
 Appear between 12-16 weeks of
intrauterine life and formation is
completed by 24 weeks.
They are classified into 4 types:
 Loops
 Whorls
 Arches
 Composite
 Poroscopy is a method of personal
identification through the comparison of
the impressions of sweat pores.
 Ridges of fingers are studied with
microscopic pores ,formed by mouths of
ducts of sub-epidermal sweat glands.
 Each millimeter of a ridge contains 9-18
pores.
 Normally a stream of sweat containing
fat covers the skin . When part of the skin
is applied to a smooth surface, a greasy
impression of its pattern is made on it.
 Rolled print
 Plain print
 Latent print: An invisible or bearly visible
impression

 Visible print: Formed by fingers stained

with blood or ink

 Plastic print: Impression made on a soft

surface such as soap
 In advanced putrefaction and
drowning, skin becomes loose which is
removed and preserved in formalin for
impression
 As ridges are present in both the dermis
and epidermis, prints can be obtained
from the dermis after the epidermis has
been lost.
 The fingerprints are not destroyed unless
the true skin is completely destroyed.
 Permanent impairment of fingerprint
pattern occurs in leprosy, electric injury
and after exposure to radiation
 Burns and wounds do not destroy the
fingerprints, but they give additional
characteristics to the print.
 To establish the identity of the criminal by
recognizing the impressions on
weapons, furniture and clothes
 For the Identification of the
decomposed bodies.
 Accidental exchange of new born
infants.
 To maintain identity records.
 FOOTPRINTS: Skin patterns of toes and
heels are as distinctive and permanent
as fingers.
 LIP PRINTS:

• Fissures and grooves on the lips are

claimed to be characteristic of the
individual.
• Lip prints are divided into 8 patterns
• 24 characteristic details have been
established. Identification is proved if 7-9
characteristics tally.
 Superimposition is a technique applied to
determine whether the skull is of that person
in the photograph.
 Principle: The shape of the face is related to
the bony contours of the facial part of the
skin.
 The superimposition is correct if the
anatomical landmarks such as nasion,
supraorbital ridges ,angle of the jaw etc.
accurately correspond to the face in the
photograph.
 Forensic facial reconstruction (or
forensic facial approximation) is the process
of recreating the face of an individual
(whose identity is often not known) from
their skeletal remains through an
amalgamation of artistry, forensic science,
anthropology, osteology, and anatomy.
THANK
YOU!