Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1937-05-30
BY Ernest w. Hood

BY Ernest w. Hood
ucINGERPRINTs of the future will give US
complete and detailed picture of the Grim
inal"
Authority for this bold assertion is the widely
recognized fingerprint expert, B. c. Bridges,
superintendent of identification for the Alameda,
California, police department.
Although human fngerprints for the past
decade have been the greatest single weapon of
American justice, and the most fatal and I'M
escapable weakness of every criminal Bridges
new discoveries may double the value of
prints to crimnologists.
Amazingly accurate physical descriptions
will be made in the future from prints Alone
Bridges says land the race, age, sex, health and
occupation of a criminal may be determined"
He also predicts that prints in the future may
reveal whether or not the subject is criminally
inclined-and the direction of such criminal ten
dences
Fingerprints are physical characteristics to
such an extent that they conform to the laws of
heredity and vary for different races just as
physical features do the criminologist explains.
A contrast exists between people of different
races it is pointed out. A Negro will have
coarse capillary ridges and relatively deep and
wide channels between them, whereas an ORR
entail, in contrast, has finer ridges and shallow
channels.
Occupation of a person often leaves certain
markings indelible upon his fingerprints, and
disease likewise affects the tiny whorls, arches
and loops, Bridges declares.
In pursuit of this theory, Bridges has COM
pared his own prints with those of his son David
and has found a surprising similarity, he says
Too, he has experimental with others and found
the same hereditary marks to be present.
The crimnologist says he offers his conten-
tions with the hope of stimulating a curiosity
and interest in the field which may result in
further useful discoveries approximating those
of European scientists, who have pioneered the
print classification modes.
In making his predictions of a new era in the
tingerprint field and subsequent criminal appre-
hension effectiveness Bridges points out that
fngerprnting was the first science to be recog-
nized and utilized upon this earth.
Just as prints now constitute an effective
weapon against public enemies, millions of years
ago they saved prehistoric beings from destruc-
ton by ruthless foes in survival of the fittest
Single-celled spores, the first form of life upon
this planet, made tiny trail markings as they
crawled over the silt covering of the virgin
world.
And this, Bridges contends was the begin
ming of the worlds first science-Dermatog-
raphy.
The wanderings of these tiny dawn crea-
lures" continued to increase until their mark
inss in the moist terrain left certain Identified
ton features: te-tale traces which others
might follow to mate with or devour.
The dawning intelligence, which recognized
these vital factors, the prophecy of the
modern man with the microscope.
The feet of early ground animals, it is pointed
out developed pads to support their weight and
cushion their tread, and in some mammals the
pads bore crude clusters of small epdermal
warts arranged circulary around an elevated
apex and each carrying the tiny opening of a
sweat gland.
AS the early animal habits grew to be arbor-
eal and climbing became part of the creatures
existence, these clusters became somewhat fat
tened and pattern, with individual character
istics, appeared.
THE entire friction surface became covered
with ridges but instead of running from
side to side, the ridges retained the direction of
the folds that originally surrounded the pads,
the whorl type which afforded the maximum
traction for given surface, it has been pointed
out.
Possibly the hand and foot patterns of print
tive man had this same appearance. However,
in the great apes and primitive man. the body
weight became too great for successful climbing
and the friction surfaces no longer played so
important a part. The whors then began to