Anthropometry system of identification According to forensic medicine theory exam

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Anthropometry System of Identification (Bertillon System)

Definition

Anthropometry is a scientific system of personal identification developed by Alphonse Bertillon, a French police officer and biometric researcher, in 1883. It was the first scientific system adopted by police for identifying criminals, and is also called Bertillonage or Signaletics.

Principle

The system rests on two premises:

After the age of 21 years, the dimensions of the skeleton and various body measurements remain practically unchanged throughout adult life.
The ratio in size of different body parts to one another varies considerably between individuals - no two persons show identical measurements in all respects.

Because it depends on skeletal maturity, this system is applicable only to adults, not growing children.

Data Recorded (Three Heads)

1. Descriptive data (body appearance)

Colour of hair, eyes (iris), and complexion
Shape of nose, ears, chin, etc.

2. Bodily marks

Moles, scars, and tattoo marks

3. Body measurements Eleven measurements were classically taken, including:

Height
Antero-posterior diameter of head and trunk
Span of outstretched arms
Length of left middle finger
Length of left little finger
Length of left forearm
Length of left foot
Length and breadth of right ear
Colour of left iris

Photographs: A standardized frontal (full face) view and a right-profile view of the head were also taken as part of the record.

All this data was recorded on cards and filed by a complex classification method so records could be matched and retrieved across jurisdictions.

Drawbacks / Fate of the System

The system has many drawbacks - it is laborious, requires trained measurers, and measurement errors reduce reliability.
Photographs alone are unreliable as a sole means of identification, even under expert inspection.
It has now been largely replaced by dactylography (fingerprint system).
Of the original measurements, only height and weight are still routinely recorded today.
Iris characteristics are now used instead for identity verification in modern contexts (e.g., airports, corporate biometric systems).

Exam-Style Summary Table

Aspect	Detail
Also called	Bertillonage, Signaletics
Founder	Alphonse Bertillon (1883, France)
Principle	Skeletal dimensions fixed after age 21; body-part ratios vary between individuals
Applicability	Adults only
Three data heads	Descriptive data, bodily marks, body measurements
No. of classical measurements	11 (sometimes cited as up to 14 including photographs/notations)
Current status	Replaced by fingerprinting; only height/weight still used routinely

Sources:

Parikh's Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, p. 94
The Essentials of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, 36th ed. (Forensic Identification Methods)
P C Dikshit Textbook of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (Anthropometry/Bertillon's System)

Note: This is a historically important but now largely obsolete identification method - in exams it is often asked as a lead-in before questions on dactylography (fingerprinting), which superseded it as the primary scientific identification method.

Make it short

Anthropometry (Bertillon System)

Introduced by Alphonse Bertillon (France, 1883); also called Bertillonage.
Principle: After age 21, skeletal/body measurements stay constant; no two people share identical measurements in all parts.
Applicable only to adults.

Data recorded (3 heads):

Descriptive - hair/eye colour, complexion, shape of nose/ears/chin
Bodily marks - moles, scars, tattoos
Measurements (11) - height, arm span, head/trunk diameter, lengths of left middle finger, little finger, forearm, foot, right ear length/breadth, iris colour

Plus frontal and profile photographs

Status: Largely obsolete - replaced by fingerprinting (dactylography). Only height and weight still routinely used.

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