Obtaining a Print from a Mummified Finger
| Date | 01 January 1950 |
| Author | I. J. Liebenberg |
| Published date | 01 January 1950 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X5002300108 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
OBTAINING APRINT FROM A MUMMIFIED FINGER 45
NO·9
SEARCH OF A
VEHICLE
Avehicle has
been
stopped
in
the
manner
shown
in
the
photograph.
The
No.
1 is
not
satisfied
with
the
appearance of
the
occupants
and
he decides to
do a
thorough
search.
The
occupants
are
brought
to
the
front
of
their
vehicle while
the
Radio
Car
is
driven
to
the
side of
the
road
so as
not
to cause an
obstruction.
No.
1
and
No.
3
watch
the
occupants
while No. 2 searches
the
front
part
of
the
suspects'
vehicle,
NO.5
the
inside
and
underneath,
and
NO.4
examines
the
boot
and
rear
part.
No.
10
SEARCH OF A
MOTOR
BUS
The
vehicle has
been
stopped
in
the
manner
shown
in
the
photograph.
NO.1
covers
the
passengers
through
the
grill by
the
side of
the
driver
while NO.5
has placed
himself
at
the
door
of
the
vehicle.
No
passenger is allowed to
move
until
told
to do so.
NO.5
orders
the
passengers
out
one by one while
No.2
searches
them.
NO.4
lines
them
up
and
watches
them
while
No.
3 is
watching
through
his
turret
with
a
commanding
view of
the
proceedings.
Obtaining a Print from a Mummified
Finger
By
DETECTIVE
HEAD
CONSTABLE
I.
J. LIEBENBERG
South
African
Criminal
Bureau,
Pretoria
ONMarch 6th, 1949, at Klerksdorp in the Transvaal, the body of
a Bantu male was found in the veld.
The
features were in such a
state of decomposition as completely to impair their use in identifica-
tion, and it therefore became necessary to obtain identifiable finger-
prints.
To
enable the S.A. Criminal Bureau to classify and search,
the
two thumbs, best preserved of the fingers, were placed in formalin
and sent in.
The
use of formalin for this purpose is not in accordance
with authorised practice.
Klerksdorp has a
hot
and dry climate, and this factor, combined
with the use of the formalin, resulted in the thumbs being received
in an advanced state of mummification.
The
surface contained deep and
permanent furrows and the skin was as hard as stone, which prevented
the taking of adequate fingerprints by the rolling method. Further,
in the condition in which they arrived, photographs of the surface of
the specimens would have been valueless.
The
problem, therefore,
was to restore the finger-tips or so to relax
them
that
adequate prints
could be obtained, and several attempts were made before it could
b~
solved.
The
first effort was by boiling a specimen in an aqueous solution
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