The french criminologist alphonse bertillon is often cited as a pioneer in the arena of forensic science and is known as the inventor of the first scientific method of identifying criminals. Anthropometry was the first scientific system used by police to identify criminals.
Alphonse Bertillon
Alphonse bertillion body measurement. He developed this complex method of measuring and categorizing individuals. Century alphonse bertillon was a police department file clerk in paris. The roots of the bertillon system are in the field of anthropometry a system of precise body measurements. Some of those methods such as the mug shot are. 4241853 2131914 french criminologist. Bertillons filing system.
Anthropometry was the first scientific system used by police to identify criminalsbefore that time criminals could only be. Although the process of obtaining human measurements had originated in ancient civilizations alphonse bertillon is credited as the father of anthropometrics based on his classification system known as the anthropometric system or judicial anthropometry. Alphonse bertillon was the son of the physician and founder of the society of anthropology of paris louis adolphe bertillon. 22 april 1853 13 february 1914 was a french police officer and biometrics researcher who applied the anthropological technique of anthropometry to law enforcement creating an identification system based on physical measurements. Alphonse bertillon was a french forensic documentarian who developed or improved upon several methods of identifying criminals and solving crimes. These measurements along with hair color eye color and front and side view photographs were recorded on cardboard forms measuring six and a half inches tall by five and a half inches wide.
Bertillon was the first who applied the anthropological technique of anthropometry to law enforcement creating an identification system based on physical measurements. The thought being that no one individual would have the same combination of body. From a practical standpoint this system dispatched individual cards according to a series of about ten body measurements each broken down into three parts in succession small average and large. Bertillon took measurements of certain bony portions of the body among them the skull width foot length cubit trunk and left middle finger. Alphonse bertillon was born in paris the son of louis adolphe bertillon a physician and statistician. Because of alphonses poor.
On april 23 1853 french police officer and biometrics researcher alphonse bertillon was born. His system depended on a complicated filing method that cross referenced a standardized set of identifying characteristics making the information retrievable. Alphonse bertillon was a french criminologist and anthropologist who created the first system of physical measurements photography and record keeping that police could use to identify recidivist criminals. Before bertillon suspects could only be identified through eyewitness accounts and unorganized files of photographs. Alphonse bertillon used photography and measurement to create a record of unique identifiers that could be used to track suspects inmates and repeat offenders. In 1882 alphonse bertillon started filing police record cards based on the measurements of arrestees.
First the cards were sorted out with respect to height then arm span upper body height.
Gallery of Alphonse Bertillion Body Measurement
