script
forensic science. defined by merriam-webster as "the application of scientific
principles and techniques to matters of criminal justice especially as relating to
the collection, examination, and analysis of physical evidence". it's a term many
have heard, whether it be from a t.v. show, a movie, a book, or just in passing
conversation. but how did it come to be? well, the first idea of forensic science
came about in 1784 when a man by the name of John Toms was convicted of murder due
to the discovery of a newspaper in his pocket that perfectly lined up with the
newspaper that had been wrapped around the gun. the idea that people could be found
guilty due to concrete physical evidence quickly became an idea that many supported
in the pursuit of justice. the next major advancement followed in 1813 when a
scientist by the name of mathieu orfila developed a blood panel test to detect
various toxins. however, it was not until 1832 when this technology was used to
convict john bodle in the murder of his grandfather when arsenic was detected in
the deceased's bloodstream. only three years later comes the next forensic
development, with calvin goddard making the discovery that each gun has a unique
firing style and can be traced back to the bullets it fires. over half a decade
later, this theory was used to exonerate charles stielow in the murder of his
neighbor. the man had been falsely accused and pressured into a false confession,
with so-called experts claiming his gun was the one that fired the shot that killed
his neighbor. by using the theory of goddard, stielow was proven innocent due to
the inconsistencies in his gun's bullets and the bullets found at the scene. this
case hit the news like wildfire and newspapers rang out with the headline "charles
f stielow gets full pardon", exposing corruption within quota-based policing.
before stielow's exoneration, however, a man by the name of francis galton noticed
that all fingerprints were unique and developed a system of identifying and
matching fingerprints. although developed in the united states, the first
successful usage of the technology was in argentina when a bloody fingerprint left
at a crime scene was matched to a suspect in the building at the time of the
murder. finally, in 1986, alec jefferys created a system of dna matching that
compared the strands and lengths of dna samples, allowing strands of hair and
bodily fluids to be tied back to a singular person. the first successful use of
this dna matching technology was in 1987 when the dna of colin pitchfork was found
by the bodies of two murdered teenagers. this dna testing helped not only convict
pitchfork, but clear the name of a previously accused minor with severe
intellectual disabilities who was unable to defend himself. newspapers praised the
"first mass screening for generic fingerprints" as a success, and sought to
continue the advances in such technology used to bring criminals to justice.
