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Figure 2.1
 
Dr. Paul Kirk.
Dr. Paul Kirk both searches for and collects evidence
with one of his inventions. Dr. Kirk pioneered many technical and conceptual
advances in criminalistics. He proposed that individualizing the evidence that
we find is the defining principle of the criminalistics effort. (Courtesy of Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley.)
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22
Principles and Practice of Criminalistics
a.
Recognition and Collection of Evidence ................................ 62
b.
Is criminalistics an Autonomous Scientific Discipline? ........ 64
c.
Is Criminalistics a Profession?................................................. 65
E.
Summary ................................................................................................. 66
References ........................................................................................................ 67
It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents — except at occasional 
intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the 
streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, 
and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the 
darkness.
 
Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton
—
 
Paul Clifford
, 1830
As with any endeavor, it is useful to study the lessons of the past so that one
can at least make new mistakes rather than recycle the old ones. For reasons
that remain unclear to the authors, those involved, either integrally or periph-
erally, in the practice of forensic science seem to insist on repeating the same
mistakes over and over again. In this chapter we identify the roots of forensic
science, trace some of the history, and highlight the evolution of concepts as
well as practice. We hope that a brief reflection on the past will prove useful
in guiding the future course of forensic science. Please refer to Appendix A
for a Timeline of Forensic Science.