Scientific Method and History Flashcards
(28 cards)
What is the application of science to law?
Forensics
Who is the Spaniard who wrote about poisons and is considered the “father of forensic toxicology”?
Mathiew Orfila
What is Anthropometry and who created it?
A series of bodily measurements used to identify and document prisoners, created by Alphonse Bertillon
Who created the first crime lab, in Lyons in 1910, and what was the principle he developed?
Edmond Locard, created Locard’s principle where every contact leaves a trace
Which Austrian man advocated for the use of physical evidence in solving crimes, and coined the term “criminalistics”?
Hans Gross
Who was the scientist that discovered ABO groups and who adapted this knowledge to type blood?
Karl Landsteiner in 1900. Typed by Max Richter.
Which Italian devised the first working system for identifying dried bloodstains bloodstains and when?
Leone Lattes, 1916, applied the ABO groups to dried bloodstains
When was the first recognition of forensic medicine and where did it appear?
1248, in Hsi Duan Yu’s Washing Away of Wrongs, where he shows how to tell death from strangulation and drowning of bodies found in water.
What is the definition of applied science?
science to better society > furthering knowledge
What was the first appearance of forensic entomology?
13th century, Song Ci wrote about a murder being connected to a weapon by the presence of blowflies
Who wrote on the uniqueness of fingerprints?
Francis Galton, 1888, and published the first textbook on the topic in 1892
Who was associated with early efforts to apply scientific principles to document examination?
Albert Osburn
Who developed DNA profiling and what was the first case it was used in?
Sir Alec Jefferys, in 1984, first used in the Colin Pitchfork case
What type of evidences are examined in a physical unit of a crime lab?
Chemistry, Physics and Geology
What type of evidences are examined in a biological unit of a crime lab?
Blood, hairs, fibers an botanical material
What type of evidence is examined in a document unit of a crime lab?
handwriting and typewriting on questioned documents
What does the toxicology unit of a crime lab examine?
Bodily fluids and organs for drugs and poisons
In what case did the “general acceptance” principle arise?
Frye v. US
In what case was “general acceptance” deemed not solely reliable?
Daubert v. Merrell Pharmaceuticals
What is the title of a person who demonstrates a particular knowledge or skill in court?
Expert witness
What services does the RCMP National Forensic Service provide?
Crime scene ID, fingerprint ID, criminal record repositories, national DNA data base
What services does the Center for Forensic Science offer?
Biology, chemistry, document analysis, photo analysis, electronics, firearms, tool marks and toxicology
What services does the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciares et de Medicine Legal offer?
Biology, toxicology, physical and organic chemistry, ballistics, counterfeiting, genetics, electronic engineering, odontology and anthropology
What is the Daubert Standard of Admissibility?
Requires:
- testable predictions
- peer-reviewed methods
- methods with known error rates
- standards to control techniques
- general acceptance scientifically
