Forensics Throughout the Centuries by Audrey Lara

17th Century

1600

A guilty person would confess under torture, while God would give an innocent person the strength to resist the pain. All suspects of a crime would be tortured and it was believed, if you were truly innocent, God would give resistibility of pain to oneself.
-First pathology reports published.

18th Century

1700

Carl W. Scheele devised a test for detecting Arsenic in corpses (the inheritance powder)
-First recorded instance of physical matching of evidence leading to a murder conviction (John Toms, England). Evidence was a torn edge of newspaper in a pistol that matched newspaper in his pocket.

19th Century

1800

-Medical advancements allowed MEs to determine cause of deaths
-Discovered more precise
-Method for detecting small amounts of Arsenic. 'Father of Forensic Toxicology' published article on detection of poisons and effects

20th Century

1900

-Discovery of ABO blood typing by Karl Landsteiner
-The Bertillion system was replaced by fingerprinting
-When 2 objects come into contact with each other, a cross‑transfer of materials occurs that can connect a criminal suspect to the victim or the crime scene. The 1st known police crime lab.

21st Century

2000

-Forensic science has surfaced as a critical tool in assigning guilt or establishing innocence in the criminal justice system.
-Labs will see high growth in:
-Digital Forensics
-DNA
-Drug Analysis
Technology speeds up DNA profiling time, from 6-8 weeks to between 1-2 days.
A way for scientists to visualize fingerprints even after the print has been removed is developed, relating to how fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces.