NCJ Number
11541
Date Published
1973
Length
152 pages
Annotation
APPLICATIONS OF X-RAY TECHNOLOGY TO VARIOUS FORENSIC INVESTIGATIONS, INCLUDING DOCUMENT ANALYSIS, FINGERPRINT VISUALIZATION, AND MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, ARE EXPLAINED.
Abstract
WRITTEN FOR POLICE OFFICERS, FORENSIC SCIENTISTS, PATHOLOGISTS AND RADIOGRAPHERS, THIS BOOK INTRODUCES INCREASING APPLICATIONS OF X-RAY TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF FORENSIC INVESTIGATION. BEGINNING WITH A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF X-RAYS, THE AUTHOR, AN EXPERT RADIOGRAPHY CONSULTANT TO THE GLASGOW (SCOTLAND) POLICE, EXPLAINS THE THEORY OF X-RADIATION. HE DISCUSSES THE MOST COMMONLY KNOWN FORM OF RADIOGRAPHY AS WELL AS THE MORE SPECIALIZED FORM OF ELECTRONOGRAPHY, BY WHICH METALLIC ELEMENTS CAN BE MADE TO PRODUCE A RECORDABLE EMISSION WHEN IRRADIATED BY A HIGH KILOVOLTAGE X-RAY BEAM. SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES OF RADIOGRAPHY AND ELECTRONOGRAPHY ARE DISCUSSED IN FOUR MAJOR AREAS OF INVESTIGATIVE APPLICATION - FINGERPRINT RECOVERY FROM NON-HUMAN SURFACES, FINGERPRINT RECOVERY FROM HUMAN SKIN, MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS AND IDENTIFICATION, AND DOCUMENT EXAMINATION. THE USE OF GRENZ RAYS - LONGWAVE X-RAYS - IN DETECTING SUCH THINGS AS COUNTERFEITS, FINGERPRINTS AND GUNPOWDER PATTERNS, ARE ALSO EXAMINED. SEPARATE CHAPTERS DESCRIBE IODINE-125 AS A RADIOACTIVE SOURCE FOR PORTABLE X-RAY EQUIPMENT AND METHODS OF PROTECTION FROM THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF X-RAYS. NUMEROUS DIAGRAMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS ARE INCLUDED TO ILLUSTRATE POINTS OF BOTH THEORY AND PROCEDURE. (SNI ABSTRACT)