“The Bertillon System of Criminal Identification, invented by French criminologist Alphonse Bertillon in 1879, was a technique for describing individuals on the basis of a catalogue of physical measurements, including standing height, sitting height (length of trunk and head), distance between fingertips with arms outstretched, and size of head, right ear, left foot, digits, and forearm. In addition, distinctive personal features, such as eye colour, scars, and deformities, were noted. The system was used to identify criminals in the later years of the nineteenth century, but was soon displaced by the more reliable and easily-recorded fingerprints.”

Posted 6 months ago
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Tagged: bertillon, alphonse bertillon, criminology, fingerprints, crime, 19th century, bertillon card, 1870s, 1800s, .
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