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 gave forensic science one of its most lasting ideas.
1 Audiobook
Dactylography; Or, The Study of Finger-prints
by Henry Faulds
About the author
Born in Beith, Scotland, in 1843, Henry Faulds trained in medicine in Glasgow and went on to work as a medical missionary. He spent important years in Japan, where he helped found a hospital for the poor in Tokyo and took a wide interest in public health, science, and archaeology.
Faulds is best remembered for his early work on fingerprints. After studying finger marks on ancient pottery and comparing them with modern prints, he argued that fingerprint patterns were unique and could be used for personal identification. In 1880, he published his ideas in Nature and also suggested that fingerprints could help link criminals to crime scenes.
Although others later became more widely known in the history of fingerprinting, Faulds is now recognized as one of the field's key pioneers. He returned to Britain later in life, continued writing and defending his claims, and died in 1930.