Dactylography - History, Present and Future

Dactylography - History, Present and Future This thesis introduces one of the most important identification methods - dactylography (or dactyloscopy), e.g. the method based on analysis and classification of patterns of friction ridges (especially fingerprints). This thesis consists of three main chapters considering its name. The first chapter describes interesting history of this method from first discoveries, through various breakthroughs, to reaching the status of forensic evidence. This chapter mainly focuses on individual pioneers on the field of dactylography, but tells as well the story of Czechoslovak dactylography and reminds cases, that were very close to prove this method wrong at its fragile beginning. The second chapter focuses on the present of dactylography. This chapter starts with three basic laws of dactylography, but the essence of it lies in the term "dactyloscopic evidence". The methods of revelation, analysis and preservation of dactyloscopic evidence are described here as well as their comparison. If it comes to analysis, I am trying to compare two approaches used today (holistic and numerical) and offer my opinion which one is better. Also, I am trying to answer the question, if it is possible to tell how old the dactyloscopic evidence is. The third and the last chapter..