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Daily Analytical Problem Solving in Criminalistics with Rapid and Reliable Advanced Instrumentation - the Microscope

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

W. Moorehead
W. Moorehead*
Affiliation:
Orange County Sheriff-Coroner Department, Forensic Science Services, 320 North Flower Street, Santa Ana, CA92703
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Abstract

Forensic science incorporates many different scientific disciplines: criminalistics, toxicology, pathology, entomology, engineering, psychology, accounting, etc. Criminalistics incorporates such diverse areas as crime scene investigation, sexual assault evidence, DNA analysis, firearms identification and comparison, drug analysis, impression evidence, and trace evidence.

A variety of microscopes and microscopical techniques are used to answer “real world” questions about physical evidence in criminalistics. The microscopes most often used include stereo (dissecting), biological (brightfield), polarizing light, phase contrast, fluorescence, transmitted light comparison, reflected light comparison, and scanning electron. Additionally, detectors from different areas of the electromagnetic spectrum have been added to microscopes to enhance the information obtained from a specimen: infrared, visible-ultraviolet, and x-ray. to gather more information about the specimen with visible light microscopes, dispersion staining(1), contrast enhancement techniques(2) fusion methods(3), chemical staining(4), and micro-chemical tests(5,6) can be integrated into the analytical scheme.

Type
Forensics and Environmental Issues (Organized by J. Woodward and P. Crozier)
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 7 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis 2001, Microscopy Society of America 59th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 35th Annual Meeting, Long Beach, California August 5-9, 2001 , August 2001 , pp. 468 - 469
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

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References

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