MICROSCOPES IN FORENSIC SCIENCE Introduction

Introduction The applications of microscopy in the forensic sciences are almost limitless. This is due in large measure to the ability of microscopes to detect, resolve and image the smallest items of evidence, often without alteration or destruction. As a result, microscopes have become nearly indispensable in all forensic disciplines involving the natural sciences. Thus, a firearms examiner comparing a bullet, a trace evidence specialist identifying and comparing fibers, hairs, soils or dust, a document examiner studying ink line crossings or paper fibers, and a serologist scrutinizing a bloodstain, all rely on microscopes, in spite of the fact that each may use them in different ways and for different purposes.