Bertillon and Anthropometry
Anthropometry
• Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the
human individual for the purposes of
understanding human physical variation.
• This was used by Alphonse Bertillon to set up one
of the first biometrics systems.
Anthropometry
• During the early 20th century, anthropometry
was used extensively by anthropologists in the
United States and Europe. One uses became the
attempted differentiation between differences in
the races of man, and it was often employed to
show ways in which races were "inferior" to
others.
• Today, anthropometry plays an important role in
industrial design, clothing design, ergonomics
and architecture where statistical data about the
distribution of body dimensions in the
population are used to optimize products.
Bertillon and Criminology
• In 1883 Bertillon developed a system of
identification depending on the unchanging
character of certain measurements of parts of
the human frame.
• He concluded that if these measurements were
made and recorded systematically every single
individual would be found to be perfectly
distinguishable from others.
• The French adopted the Bertillon method into
their criminal system, while the English was
adopting the use of fingerprinting for
identification
Bertillon and Criminology
• The system included 11 different measurements
collected on over 100,00 cards, one for each
individual.
• Francis Galton was a key contributor as well, and
it was in showing the redundancy of Bertillon's
measurements that he developed the statistical
concept of correlation. Galton however would
eventually advocate for the use of the fingerprint
as a form of identification.
Bertillon and Criminology
• Bertillon’s method was discredited in the case
of the stolen Mona Lisa.
– His system of measurements failed to identify the
perpetrator.
– Fingerprints where used to solve this case.