The fact that human beings had ridges on their fingertips and these were different for each person was known even to the pre historic man. There are ancient Chinese tablets on which finger prints appear as a way to identify the author of the tablets.
So we can say that finger prints have been used for personal identification for at two thousand years. But there is a difference between knowing that man makes individual finger prints and organizing this information in a scientific way.
The first important contribution was made to the science of finger printing by Marcello Malpighi in 1686. Malpighi, an Italian anatomy professor, studied the ridges of finger prints under a microscope. He saw that these ridges or finger prints are arranged in patterns of loops and spirals.
Finger prints were first used officially in Europe to identify prisoners in 1858. a few years later, the first study on the possible use of finger prints was published. The study described a method of taking prints by using a thin film of printer's ink, a method that is still used today.
So we can say that finger prints have been used for personal identification for at two thousand years. But there is a difference between knowing that man makes individual finger prints and organizing this information in a scientific way.
The first important contribution was made to the science of finger printing by Marcello Malpighi in 1686. Malpighi, an Italian anatomy professor, studied the ridges of finger prints under a microscope. He saw that these ridges or finger prints are arranged in patterns of loops and spirals.
Finger prints were first used officially in Europe to identify prisoners in 1858. a few years later, the first study on the possible use of finger prints was published. The study described a method of taking prints by using a thin film of printer's ink, a method that is still used today.
