Bertillonage

Bertillonage, also known as the Bertillon system or judicial anthropometry, was the first scientific system used by police to identify criminals. Developed by Alphonse Bertillon, a French police officer, in the late 19th century, it relied on a detailed series of body measurements. The system was based on the premise that the dimensions of the human skeleton are unique and unchanging after adulthood.

The measurements typically included height, arm span, length of the head, width of the head, length of the left foot, length of the left middle finger, length of the left cubit (forearm), and length of the left ear. These measurements were taken with precise instruments and recorded on cards. In addition to these anthropometric measurements, photographs of the subject were also taken, including a full-length frontal view and a profile view of the head.

The collected data was then filed and could be compared with new measurements taken from suspected criminals or unknown offenders. The aim was to create a system that could definitively identify individuals, distinguishing them from others with similar physical characteristics. While revolutionary for its time, bertillonage eventually faced limitations. The accuracy of the measurements could be affected by human error, and it was found that some measurements were not as unique as initially believed.

Despite its eventual obsolescence, bertillonage was a significant step in the development of forensic science and criminal identification. It laid the groundwork for later, more advanced techniques such as fingerprinting, which ultimately proved to be more reliable and widely adopted by law enforcement agencies worldwide. The principles behind bertillonage, however, emphasized the importance of systematic and objective methods in criminal investigations.