Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology,

TOMO RIBA INSTITUTE OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCE, Naharlagun,

Arunachal Pradesh, 791110

History of Forensic Medicine

Origins in ancient time Anthropometry History of Autopsy
• The word “Forensic” came from Latin “Forensis” • Alphonse Bertillon was the first to apply the • Ancient Egyptians practice the
which means “The Forum” or “The market Place” anthropological technique of anthropometry removal and examination of the
• EGYPT 2900 BC – IMHOTEP- Chief Justice to king
to law enforcement internal organs of humans in the
Zozer, the first ever medico-legal expert
• Bertillon created many other forensics religious practice of mummification.
• BABYLON 2200 BC – HAMMURABI,
techniques, including document examination, the use of • In 1543, Andreas Vesalius conducted a public
formulated oldest known law code,
galvanoplastic compounds to preserve footprints, ballistics etc. dissection of the body of a former criminal
code of Hammurabi.
• GREECE 460-370 BC Hippocrates, Fingerprinting Ancient India 3250-2000 B.C
• Sir William Herschel was one of the
dealt in his teachings with medical • 3102 BC code of Manu – “DHARMASASTRA “ –
first to use fingerprinting in the
ethics, lethality of wounds, causes of contain medicolegal principles – 1st legal
identification of criminal suspect
sudden death etc. code of India
• In 1880, Dr. Henry Faulds proposed a
Toxicology • Kautilya’s Arthashastra describes the
method to record fingerprints with
• Mathieu Orfila is considered the • necessity of autopsy in establishing
printing ink. He established their first classification
modern father of toxicology, having the cause of death
• Galton published a detailed statistical model of fingerprint • 250 AD- Charaka in his Charaka Samhita lays down
its first treatment in 1813 in his
analysis an elaborate code regarding the
Traité des poisons
• Sir Edward Henry, Khan Bahadur
training, duties, privilege and
Azizul Haque and Rai Bahadur
social status of physicians.
• Theophrastus Phillipus Auroleus Bombastus von
Hem Chandra Bose worked on
Hohenheim (Paracelsus) is also considered "the father" • 200 - 300 AD– Shushruta
Henry system on fingerprint
of toxicology. Samhita contains a separate chapter on toxicology.
classification
REFERENCES : 1. The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology; by Dr. K.S. Narayan. Reddy and OP Murty, Advisors Mahender Reddy and Singi Yatiraj , 35th Edition,2022,
jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers Ltd.
2. Images Open Google source