author
Henry Faulds
1843–1930
A Scottish doctor and missionary, he helped turn fingerprints into a practical tool for identifying people and solving crimes. His work in Japan and his sharp scientific curiosity helped shape one of forensic science’s most lasting methods.
1 Audiobook
Dactylography; Or, The Study of Finger-prints
by Henry Faulds
About the author
Born in Beith, Scotland, Henry Faulds studied medicine in Glasgow before becoming a medical missionary. In the 1870s he moved to Japan, where he helped found a hospital in Tokyo and became known for combining medical work with wide-ranging scientific interests.
Faulds is best remembered for his early work on fingerprints. After studying the patterns on ancient pottery and on living hands, he argued that fingerprints were unique and could be used to identify individuals. In 1880 he published this idea in Nature and also suggested that fingerprints left at crime scenes could help identify suspects, making him an important early pioneer of forensic science.
He later returned to Britain and continued writing and arguing for recognition of his role in the development of fingerprint identification. Though his contribution was long overshadowed by others, he is now widely remembered as one of the key figures in the history of fingerprinting.