NCJ Number
191462
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciencs Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2001 Pages: 857-861
Editor(s)
Michael A. Peat Ph.D.
Date Published
July 2001
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This paper attempted to quantify the morphologic features of the interpapillary lines at the skin surface of the human fingerprint.
Abstract
Individually unique and unchanging, except due to damage or rare diseases is the dermatoglyphic pattern of human palms and soles. For this reason, prints of palms and fingers have been used to identify criminals for a long time. Prints show the course of papillary ridges as papillary lines. This paper attempted to answer the following: how often do interpapillary lines occur and will the differences between papillary and interpapillary ridges be quantified? This paper examined 502 ink prints of the palms and fingers from the archive of the Bochum Police Department. Results indicated that in 215 of the 502 ink prints, interpapillary lines could be demonstrated. The interpapillary or interstitial lines of the ink prints were shown as possibly being related to a well-defined morphologic structure of human skin. The interpapillary ridges were present whenever the prints showed interpapillary lines. In addition, the frequency of interpapillary lines decreased from the thumb to the little finger, and on the right hand, interpapillary lines were more frequently found than on the left. After analyzing this data, it was believed that interpapillary lines should be considered in the evaluation of fingerprints because interpapillaries develop throughout life but they never disappear. Graphs, tables, and references