Although Galton was not the first to propose the use of fingerprints for identification (Sir William Herschel had used them in India for this purpose) he was the first to place their study on a scientific basis and so lay the groundwork for their use in criminal cases. He was able to collect a large sample of prints through his Anthropological laboratories, eventually … [Read more...] about Francis Galton and Fingerprints
Archives for September 2015
A Waking Nightmare – Denny Bond
Artist: Denny Bond Title: A Waking Nightmare An internationally recognized watercolorist living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Denny Bond graduated from Kutztown University with a Bachelor of Fine Art in communications. Working as an illustrator, Bond utilizes his graphic background to combine elements in creating representational paintings and illustrations … [Read more...] about A Waking Nightmare – Denny Bond
The Bertillon System
"Every measurement slowly reveals the workings of the criminal. Careful observation and patience will reveal the truth."Alphonse Bertillon Surveying the suspect's body After the invention of photography, police began to keep "rogues' galleries," disorganized photographic collections of suspects and convicts. What was needed was a way to retrieve images and information … [Read more...] about The Bertillon System
How Psychopaths can Save your Life
I once met a man who told me this: “In the operating theatre I am reborn: as a cold, heartless machine, totally at one with scalpel, drill and saw. Emotion is entropy and seriously bad for business. I’ve hunted it down to extinction over the years.” That man is one of the world’s top neurosurgeons. And a psychopath. Unfortunately I cannot name him. Another man I spoke to … [Read more...] about How Psychopaths can Save your Life
Lies can point to Mental Disorders or signal Normal Growth
While recognizing that lying is a universal lubricant of social life, psychiatrists are seeking to determine when it becomes destructive and just which kinds of mental problems it can typify. An article in the current American Journal of Psychiatry calls attention to the general neglect of lying as a topic for psychiatric research and marks the first systematic attempt to … [Read more...] about Lies can point to Mental Disorders or signal Normal Growth
