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Carl Wilhelm Scheele
Scheele (1742-1786), a German-Swedish chemist, independently discovers oxygen, chlorine, and manganese. -
Mathieu Orfila
Orfila (1787-1853) proved a suspect in a crime to be guilty by using toxicology. He also created new methods of testing for poisons in corpses and food. -
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Photography
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First blood test
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Alphonse Bertillon
Bertillon (1853-1914) uses physical measurements to make a record of criminals, the first system of its kind. He also came up with the "mug shot" method of forensic photography. -
Sherlock Holmes/Dr. John Watson
Holmes and Watson, two characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle, use analysis of fingerprints, typewritten notes, and footprints as credible evidence, as well as dogs to find evidence. -
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First statistics to support fingerprint evidence
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Edmond Locard
Locard (1877-1966) convinces police to let him have a laboratory, which becomes the first forensic lab. He also coined the basic principle of forensic science: "Every contact leaves a trace." -
Colonel Calvin Goddard
Goddard (1891-1955) compiles a database of gun data with a colleague, and helps adapt the comparison microscope for use in bullet comparison. -
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Oldest US Forensics Lab
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Dr. Karl Landsteiner
Landsteiner (1868-1943) discovers the 4 major blood groups and develops the ABO system of blood typing. -
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FBI organizes National Lab
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FBI Research and Training Center
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Sir Alec Jeffreys
Jeffreys (1950-) develops techniques for RNA fingerprinting and DNA profiling, which are now used worldwide.