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Nathan Burgess
English 102
Sean Rody
February 13, 2012
Research Proposal: The Origins of Homicide Forensics
Introduction: Forensic science, simply defined as science used in a legal context, has experienced an
enormous leap in development in the last century, thanks largely to the development of scientific
techniques such as the creation of crime laboratories, ballistic identification, and Deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA) profiling. Media proliferation of forensics-based shows such as the CSI series and Bones, has
made a great percentage of the population aware of these revolutionary techniques. Lesser known is the
early history and beginnings of forensic science, as well as its different roots, applications, and
inaccuracies. I plan to examine how criminal investigations have been conducted throughout history,
and how science, specifically measurements, physics, and medical examinations, were developed and
employed in the use of solving homicides.
As with any science, it is important to the continued development of forensic science to
understand its roots. I will focus my research project on the history of forensics in order to discover and
understand the origins of this important science. Since I am studying criminal justice with an emphasis
on forensic science, I want to better understand my field of study and learn about historical use of
forensic science.
My goal is to accurately explain the importance and origins behind major developments in
eleven forensic science specialties: facial identification, forensic anthropology, DNA analysis,
medicolegal death investigation, latent fingerprints, fire and explosive scene analysis, gunshot residue,
firearms and tool mark analysis, bloodstain pattern analysis, toxicology, and footwear and tire track
analysis. I will present my project with an introductory explanation to the intentions of my research,
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and detail scientific developments in chronological order, then connect the developments with my
thesis and break them down in an understandable way. My paper will be interesting and accessible to a
large audience due to modern popularity and basic understanding of the forensic sciences (again,
thanks largely in part to the popularity of forensics based shows in the early 21st century). Since my
paper is about the little-known roots of forensics, I believe that it should be accessible to anyone with
an interest in forensic science. I will also do my best to present the sometimes complicated and
technical concepts in simple English (without belittling the reader) so that it can be understandable to
readers that have a very light understanding of scientific concepts. I will likely start with the medical
examination of Julius Caesar in 47 BC, and continue to work my way forward, noting important
individuals, events, and studies relating to the origins of forensic science specialties used in homicide
investigation, focusing on the eleven forensics specialities.
Research Question: What are the historical origins of these forensic science disciplines used in
homicide investigations: facial identification, forensic anthropology, DNA analysis, medicolegal death
investigation, latent fingerprints, fire and explosives scene analysis, gunshot residue, firearms and tool
mark analysis, bloodstain pattern analysis, toxicology, and footwear and tire track analysis?
Review of Literature: I began by browsing through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's website to
better understand the different forensic disciplines. After I narrowed my list down to the disciplines
often used in homicide investigation, I sought reliable sources. During my source search, I discovered a
fascinating book entitled Crime and Circumstance: A History of Forensic Science by Dr. Suzanne Bell.
Dr. Bell's book is a broad cover of the history of forensic science, and I found other books that focus
only on specific forensic fields, people, and time periods. For example, The Poisoner's Handbook by
Deborah Blum is about the origins and history of forensic toxicology. Besides the information in these
books, I can also look at their cited sources in the back if I need more information.
Search Plan and Relevant Sources: As my research deepens, I will continue to seek more precise
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sources on specific discoveries and scientists in order to write an accurate, well-rounded paper. Due to
the historical nature of my topic, reliable sources will be primarily limited to history books. There are a
few professors in other states I may try to interview. I may also look to local universities to see if there
are any professors who are knowledgable in the history of forensics and will grant me an interview. I
have many of the books listed in my working bibliography either in my possession, or arriving soon. I
also plan on supplementing my research with articles from scholarly, peer-reviewed journals. I searched
ProQuest and numerous articles on the history of forensic science. I plan on returning to ProQuest to
search for specific articles about people or discoveries that I am researching.
Some of the books I plan to use are lesser-known and expensive. I will use the statewide library
search engines to track down copies of the books at the different libraries and universities in the area.
Additionally, I want to find translations of some of the scientist's original writings. I can most likely
find many of them on the Internet, if not from excerpts from books. After I acquire a deeper
understanding of the important forensic discoveries, I may have to broaden or narrow the scope of my
research question.
Project Timeline: My goal is to have a first draft of the paper completed by March 2nd, 2012. In order
to achieve this, I will need to continue my research and begin tracking down my sources immediately. I
will use books and periodicals initially, to gather information and gain a greater understanding, and
then, if time permits, I will send interview requests and begin seeking primary sources. I would like to
have all of my research completed by February 27th, 2012. On February 28th I will write an outline for
my paper. I will use the days between February 29th and March 2nd to continually write the first draft of
my paper. After completing my first draft, I plan to carefully analyze it and edit the paper to see if I
need to be more specific or narrow my topic slightly. I plan to have my second draft completed by
March 12th, unless I am submitting my paper to peer editing, then I will have the second draft ready for
that, whichever date comes first. With my second draft very close to a final draft, I plan to do one more
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sweep, tightening and correcting where necessary, so I will have the final research paper to turn in on
March 19th.
Key Challenges: No doubt my largest challenge will be in keeping the fine balance of my project
between too broad and too narrow, as well as find the most definitive origins of the different forensic
disciplines. Another challenge will be in finding highly reliable, trustworthy sources. I found plenty of
books on forensic science and the history of forensics that whose authors were not professionals in the
field of forensics, and/or lacked historical credentials. These books were often filled with inaccuracies,
and many had questionable sources, or lacked sources altogether.
Another challenge will be finding knowledgable people to interview, if I choose to go this route.
There are not any forensics instructors at Shoreline Community College, so I will have to seek
professors at other universities. Some professors are teaching in different states, so the only way I will
be able to interview them will be by telephone or email.
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Working Bibliography
Bell, Suzanne. Crime and Circumstance: Investigating the History of Forensic Science.
Westport: Praeger, 2008. Print.
This book, written by Dr. Suzanne Belle, a professor at West Virginia University, details the history of
forensics. Many chapters address specific forensic disciplines and their origins, giving specific names
and dates of scientists who made contributions. Dr. Bell breaks down and explains the contributions in
a highly accurate method. The book also contains descriptions and examples of forensic science
applied in past crime scenes, dating back hundreds of years. Dr. Bell has both her Bachelor's and
Master's degrees in forensic science, as well as a Doctorate in chemistry. Additionally, her bibliography
should provide me with a wealth of sources that I can for my paper.
Blum, Deborah. The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age
New York. Reprint ed. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print.
This book is required reading for the forensic science course at Seattle University, written by Deborah
Blum, a science journalist who has won a Pulitzer Prize. The book describes the origins of toxicology,
and focuses on forensics cases during the early 20th century in which different techniques of toxicology
were refined and discovered to identify different poisons. I think this will be useful in researching the
origins of forensic toxicology, which is one of the disciplines I am focusing on.
Chandra Shekar, B., and C. Reddy. "Role of Dentist in Person Identification." Indian Journal of
Dental Research 20.3 (2009): 356-60. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.
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This article, published in the peer-reviewed Indian Journal of Dental Research discusses the history of
the use of dental records to identify otherwise unrecognizable bodies. The article gives a brief history
of forensic odontology, which goes as far back as 66 A.D. Also, this article cites additional sources
which may provide additional, more detailed information on the origins of forensic odontology.
Cole, Simon A. Suspect Identities: A History of Fingerprinting and Criminal Identification. 2nd ed.
Cambridge: Harvard University, 2001. Print.
Simon A. Cole is an associate professor of criminology at Cornell University. In a similar vein to Truth
Machine: The Contentious History of DNA Fingerprinting, Cole discusses the history behind
fingerprinting, originating in the 18th century, an in fact, explores alternative, less reliable methods of
forensic identification that were also employed before fingerprinting became important, and he also
explains the flaws in fingerprint identification. He also collaborated on Truth Machine: The
Contentious History of DNA Fingerprinting, a book with a similar topic, but about DNA profiling.
Dutelle, Aric W. An Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation. Boston: Jones & Bartlett, 2011.
Print.
This book is required reading for the forensic science course at Seattle University. Aric Dutelle is a
forensic instructor for the United States Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigation
Training Assistance Program for over five years. This is a textbook detailing crime scene investigation,
as well as the different disciplines and sciences used in forensics. Not only does he describe the
disciplines in great detail, but he also provides a brief history of the different forensic sciences. While
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the history portion is not as in-depth as some of my other sources, it will still be useful for giving me an
overview. This book also has a rich bibliography that I can use to help me deepen my research on other
topics.
Gould, Jon B., and Richard A. Leo. "One Hundred Years Later: Wrongful Convictions After a
Century." Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology 100.3 (2010): 825-68. ProQuest
Research Library. Web. 7 Feb. 2012.
This article, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology explains causation
of wrongful convictions, some of which are due to imperfect forensic science. Since many of these
occurred in the past, I think that they may have application to explaining the imperfections of the
origins of the science, and possibly how it has evolved since. The example in particular regards the
matching of fingerprints, and how it sometimes may not be as accurate as some scientists suggest,
especially when performed improperly.
Joyce, Fraser. "Body of Evidence." History Today 60.11 (2010): 4-6. ProQuest Research Library.
Web. 7 Feb. 2012.
This article, published in the peer-reviewed, scholarly journal History Today, discusses an interesting
homicide case in the early 20th century in which a woman went missing. When her remains were found,
they had been dissolved in lime and were unidentifiable. The forensic scientists had to work to prove
her identity in order to charge her husband with murder. The 20th century scientists concluded that it
was her on the basis of several scraps of evidence they were able to discover. Fascinatingly, the DNA of
the body was tested at the University of Michigan and revealed to be male, which suggests that the
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woman's husband may have been wrongfully convicted. I think this is an interesting example of how
far forensic science has come, and may be applicable in my paper.
Lynch, Michael, Simon A. Cole, Ruth McNally, and Kathleen Jordan. Truth Machine: The Contentious
History of DNA Fingerprinting. Chicago: University of Chicago, 2008. Print.
This book, written by two professors from Cornell University, a senior research fellow at the Centre for
Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics at Lancaster, and a Ph. D. in sociology from Boston
University, explores the history and the science of DNA evidence. They explain that DNA is often used
as perfect, flawless evidence, but controversies have arisen that show problems in DNA profiling. This
book will provide valuable insight into the history and origins of the use of DNA in forensics.
Tilstone, William J., Kathleen A. Savage, and Leigh A. Clark. Forensic Science: An Encyclopedia
of History, Methods, and Techniques. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2006. Print.
This encyclopedia covers an immense number of forensic topics, organized helpfully from A to Z. As
the title suggests, it covers the origins and histories of a wide variety of different disciplines. The short
summaries of forensic history will certainly point me in the correct version and give me the skeleton of
information to pack more details around. The authors are highly educated professors from Scotland,
William Tilstone, for instance, was a Lecturer in Forensic Science at the University of Strathclyde in
Glasgow and later was promoted to Professor and Head of Forensic Science seven years later. For
instance, Tilstone has published roughly 100 articles.
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Watson, Katherine D. Forensic Medicine in Western Society: A History. New York:
Routledge, 2011. Print.
This book, written by Katherine D. Watson explores the history of forensic science from the medieval
ages to present day, focusing on western society (Europe and the United States). This book was
reviewed favorably by the peer-reviewed scholarly journal, titled Medical History from the University
of Manchester. With such a wide history of several disciples of forensic medicine, this book should
prove extremely useful for discovering the origins of several of my forensic disciplines. I am also
planning to check the bibliography to hopefully discover some primary sources, which are challenging
to find.