Dactylography and The Origin of Finger-Printing

The Scottish doctor Henry Faulds (1843–1930) and the English judge Sir William James Herschel (1833–1917) both recognised the potential of fingerprints as a means of identification. While working in Japan, Faulds had developed his methods after noticing impressions on ancient pottery. Herschel, during his service as a magistrate in India, had introduced a system of using fingerprints as a way of preventing fraud. In the course of a lengthy controversy, Faulds sought to be acknowledged for t...