The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-09-26
FORGERS TRACED
BY PULSE BEATS
New Method Discovered for
Distinguishing Real From
Genuine.
PECULIAR IRREGULARITIES
By Heart Beats Speed of Written
Document Is
Noted.
PECULIAR IRREGULARITIES

London. Sept 25.-In the midst OF the
discussion on the value Of the evidence
OF expert witnesses I'm handwriting, a
startling theory with regard to indi-
viduality i'm writing has just been
elaborated by DR. Lindsay Johnson,
the we'll known ophthalmic surgeon
and author Of many scientific works.
Briefly. # may be said to depend
upon the fact that i'm considerable
number OF diseases a persons pulse
beats are individual. and that no one
suffering from any such diseases can
control. even FOR 4 brief space Of time,
the frequency or peculiar Irregular
ties or his hearts action. as shown by
chart recording his pulsation.
such chart is obtained for medl-
cal purposes by means Of a sphygmO-
graph. an instrument fitted TO pa
tents wrist and supplied with a nee
die which automatically records on
prepared sheet or paper the peculiar
force and frequency OF the pulsation.
Experiments With Patients.
Now. DR.. Lindsay Johnson main
tsins that the pen i'm the hand OF
writer serves in a modified degree the
same end as the sphymograph. and
that in a persons handwriting one can
see by projecting the letters. greatly
magnified on screen. the scarcely
perCeptible turns and quivcrs made in
the lines by the spontaneous action
o. that persons peculiar pulsation.
ITO prove this" said the doctor.
AN experiment was made by me at
Charing Cross hospital At my re-
quest a number OF patients suffering
from heart and kidney diseases wrote
out the Lords prayer In their ordi-
nary handwriting. The different
manuscripts were then taken and ex-
amined microsCopically and BY throw
ing them. highly magnified. on a
screen. When this was done the
scarcely pcrceDtible jerks or involun-
tsry motions due TO the patients pc
cuiiar pulsations were distinctly Wis
ible"
The handwriting OF persons in nor
NAL health does not always show
their pulse beats. What one can say.
however. is that when a document
purporting 20 be written by a certain
person contains the traces or pulse
beats and the normal handwriting of
that person does not show them. then
clearly the document is a forgery.
VIII Detect Forgcrics.
"T consider that when the pulse
beats are visible in a manuscript the
iAlfOlN II VI Alif EFttAfNA lON@lDif NdlNt
in detecting forgeries." continued tho
doctor. for by means Of Il one can
tell the speed at which any document
was written Now. since when man
copies another persons writing he is
almost bound to write slowly. the find
ing Of a large number Of pulse beats
I'm a signature is prima facie evidence
that 70 IS forgery. the ordinary man
always writing his name At top speed"
Apart from his scientific researches
necessary for writing his famous work
on the Mammalian Eye" DR.. Lindsay
Johnson has found time To- interest
himself I'm criminology. 70 may be re-
membered that he dld important work
at the time Of the Captain Dreyfus
trial and again i'm the case OF Mr..
Edalii on the latter occasion he re-
Ceived a letter OF CongratulatiOn from
Sir 4. Conan Doyle. who expressed the
warmest admiration OF his methods.
and admitted that but for the theories
DIT Lindsay Johnson had advanced.
Edslji might never have secured jus
tire