Medical Jurisprudence And Toxicology

HAIR 45

lead, bismuth, or silver, or rendered lighter by using chlorine, hydrogen
peroxide, dilute nitric acid or nitrohydrochloric acid. In India, seme old
people colour their hair red or black for the purpose of concealing their age
and of looking young. It must be remembered that a change may occur in
the colour of the hair of men working in certain trades. For instance, the
hair of ebony-turners and copper-smelters may acquire a greenish hue, while
that of indigo workers becomes blue and cobalt miners exhibit a bluish tint.

A Mohamedan midwife, named Sharifan, disappeared suddenly from her house in
Ganda Nalla, Delhi. On suspicion the police raided the house of one Shahab-ud-Din in
Hamilton Road after several weeks, and unearthed the dead body of a woman after
getting a large portion of the house dug. The body was in an advanced state of de-
composition, but it was identified as that of the missing midwife from the dyed hair
which was intact. A rope was found round the neck, which led to the suspicion that
death was in all probability brought about by strangulation. The owner of the house
was arrested, against whom, a case under section 302, I.P.C., had been registered.43

Detection of Colour.—The colouring of the hair can be detected by
examining the scalp, which will, as a rule, be found dyed, and the colour of
the hair will not be uniform, the roots being different in tint from the rest.
Such hair is rough, brittle and lustreless. The colouring can also be ascer-
tained by comparing the hair of the head with that of other parts of the
body, such as pubes and armpits, which is usually not dyed, as it is not
likely to be open to the gaze of the public. In doubtful cases the hair should
be shaved or cropped closely and the colour of the growth of the new hair
should be observed, while the person is kept in custody for a few days.

Chemical Examination.—To find out the mineral used for dyeing, some
hair should be steeped or boiled in dilute hydrochloric or nitric acid to
dissolve out the metal and the appropriate tests should then be applied to
the solution thus obtained.

6. ANTHROPOMETRY

This is a system chiefly used for the identification of habitual criminals.
There are two methods by which this is carried out. One is called the
Bertillon System or Bertillo>nage and the other is called the Galton System.

Bertillon System.—This system is called Bertillonage from the name
of its inventor, M. Alphonse Bertillon. It is applicable only to the adult,
since it is based on the principle that after twenty-one years of age no
change occurs in the dimensions of the skeleton during the rest of the life
and that the ratio in the size of the different parts to one another varies
considerably in different individuals.

It consists in taking the measurements of certain parts of the body and
then classifying the individual. The measurements that are usually taken
are the height of the person while standing, the length of the head, the width
of the head, the length of the right ear, the width of the right ear, the span
of the outstretched arms, the height of the trunk while sitting, the length of
the left foot, the length of the left middle finger, the length of the left little
finger and the length of the left forearm and hand (cubit). These measure-
ments are entered upon cards which are kept in a specially arranged cabinet,
so that they can be easily picked out when required. The colour of the iris
and certain peculiarities, such as scars, etc. are noted on these cards, and
photographs of the full face and the right profile are also kept along with
them. This system is useful for the identification of criminals, but it neces-
sitates the employment of special instruments and a large number of men,
so that there is always a possibility of errors creeping into the records of the
actual measurements.-

45. Hindusthan Times, Dec. 11, 1932.