Forensic Science Project Part II- Hair/FIber Analysis

History of Hair and Fibers

History of Hair/Fiber Analysis

The history of hair/fiber analysis is very important to forensic scientist students to reveal different hairs and fibers such as dog hair or human hair. The brief studies of hair/fiber analysis below show the different people who participated in studies of hair and fibers. Starting in the 1800s, crime scène investigators noticed that hair was an important part of trace evidence at a crime scene. Crime scene investigators found hair that was trace evidence in the murder case of Duschesse de Praeslin in Paris in the year of 1874. Forensic scientist students need to know that hair is the most common type of hair evidence. I think this is important that trace evidence including hair is found because it identifies  an unknown victim or suspect during the crime. When hair used in conjunction with D.N.A. and other evidence, it can be a powerful tool for an investigator. My personal opinion of this is that hair can tell hidden details and define any person during the scene of a crime . Therefore, hair is one of the strong tools for investigations.   

In the year of 1883, a man named Alfred Swaine Taylor wrote a book called The Principle and Practice of Medical Jurisprudence .In his book , he included drawings of the labeled parts of human hair.  The book is also about the use of hair in forensic investigations. Without Alfred Swaine Taylor drawings, no one would know the specific parts of the human hair. I think that knowing the different parts of the human hair including papilla, which is at the base of the hair follicle and made up of connective tissue will show to forensic scientist students that the basic structure of hair drawings is very important. Also without Alfred Taylor writings about the use of human hair in investigations, forensic scientist students would not know that D.N.A of a hair sample can show the race of that particular person and gender. Alfred Taylors writings of the use of hair in investigations collecting hair samples in investigations proves an abundant of things in crime scenes including who the victim and a suspect of the crime are. Therefore, Alfred Taylor’s writings of the use of hair and drawings of human hair in crime scene investigations were a big contributor to the history of hair analysis.

In 1910, French forensic scientists Victore Balthazard and Marcelle Lambert did a study of hair titled The Hair of Man and Animals. The book includes numerous amounts studies of hair from most animals. This particular study reveals that there is an abundant amount of differences between human hair and animal hair. Animal hairs are incomparable to human hairs in some ways such as human hair even color pigmentation throughout the hair strand. Animal hairs have color variations, which is also known as banding. I think there has always been a difference between human hair and animal hair. The two are very different objects between humans and animals.

Fiber Analysis

In crime scene investigations police try to find fibers to a link a suspect to a crime. These are some descriptions of people who has discovered or study about fibers. Edmond Locard  was forensic scientist who created this important principle that said “Every contact leaves a trace”. Criminals always leave some trace of evidence on car seats, trunks or anywhere near the crime scene. Edmond Locard realized that this material was a key ingredient to analyzing a crime. He created the “Locard Exchange Principle” which became the foundation of forensic science. Rudolph Virchow who was a German pathologist revealed that hairs were not unique enough to match a suspect to a victim. A man named Paul L. Kirk wrote a book about “Criminal Investigation” in this book he wrote about the fundamentals of microscopic hair analysis used by the scientist in that time period.

These are the contributors studied about hairs and fibers. Hairs and fibers are important today because they can help solve a crime. So without these contributors we would today not know a lot about hairs and fibers. Without these people, I would just think hair is useless but now I know that hair is important thing in life. I already know hair on top of my head is important to me. I mean the analyzing of hair just not knowing how to straighten hair.

Citations


Contursi, Janet. "Forensic Analysis of Hair | EHow.com." EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the Expert in You. | EHow.com. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://www.ehow.com/about_5597295_forensic-analysis-hair.html>.




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