r both.

- Those cases in which extreme difficulty is encountered
because of maceration, desiccation, or advanced decay of the
skin.

These problems will be considered separately.

_1. Fingerprinting the Newly Dead._

When the fingers are flexible it is often possible to secure inked
fingerprint impressions of a deceased person through the regular
inking process on a standard fingerprint card. Experience has proved
that this task can be made easier if the deceased is laid face down
and palms down on a table (fig. 388).

In all cases where inked impressions are to be made, care should be
exercised to see that the fingers are clean and dry before inking. If
necessary, wash the digits with soap and water and dry thoroughly.

In the event difficulty is encountered in trying to procure
fingerprints by the regular method, it may prove more convenient to
cut the 10 "squares" numbered for the rolled impressions from a
fingerprint card. After the finger is inked, the square is rolled
around the finger without letting it slip. Extreme caution should be
exercised to see that each square bears the correct fingerprint
impression. After all the inked impressions are properly taken, the
ten squares bearing the impressions are pasted or stapled to a
standard fingerprint card in their proper positions, i.e., right
thumb, right index, right middle, etc. Whenever possible the "plain"
or "simultaneous" impressions should also be taken.

In some cases it will be found necessary to obtain or improvise a tool
similar to a broad-bladed putty knife or spatula to be used as an
inking instrument. The ink is rolled evenly and thinly on the knife or
spatula and applied to the finger by passing the inked knife or
spatula around it. The tool, of course, replaces the usual glass
inking slab or plate, the use of which is extremely difficult or
awkward when printing a deceased person.

_2. Fingerprinting the Dead, Where Stiffening of the Fingers and/or
Early Decomposition Are Present._

This second group consists of cases in which the hands of the deceased
are clenched, or the finger tips are wrinkled, or decomposition has
begun, and/or where there are combinations of these three conditions.
Cases of this sort may necessitate cutting off the skin. Legal
authority is necessary before cutting a corpse. Such authority may be
granted by state law or by an official having authority to grant such
a right.

[Illustration: 388]