also provides the probation
officers, parole board, and the Governor with definite information
upon which to base their judgment in dealing with criminals in their
jurisdictions.

From earliest times fingerprinting, because of its peculiar
adaptability to the field, has been associated in the lay mind with
criminal identification to the detriment of the other useful phases of
the science. However, the Civil File of the Identification Division of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation contains three times as many
fingerprints as the Criminal File. These civil fingerprints are an
invaluable aid in identifying amnesia victims, missing persons and
unknown deceased. In the latter category the victims of major
disasters may be quickly and positively identified if their
fingerprints are on file, thus providing a humanitarian benefit not
usually associated with fingerprint records.

The regular contributors who voluntarily submit fingerprints to the
Federal Bureau of Investigation play a most important role in the
drama of identification. Their action expands the size of the
fingerprint files, thereby increasing the value of the files to all
law enforcement agencies. Mutual cooperation and efficiency are
resultant by-products.

The use of fingerprints for identification purposes is based upon
distinctive ridge outlines which appear on the bulbs on the inside of
the end joints of the fingers and thumbs. These ridges have definite
contours and appear in several general pattern types, each with
general and specific variations of the pattern, dependent on the shape
and relationship of the ridges. The outlines of the ridges appear most
clearly when inked impressions are taken upon paper, so that the
ridges are black against a white background. This result is achieved
by the ink adhering to the friction ridges. Impressions may be made
with blood, dirt, grease or any other foreign matter present on the
ridges, or the saline substance emitted by the glands through the
ducts or pores which constitute their outlets. The background or
medium may be paper, glass, porcelain, wood, cloth, wax, putty,
silverware, or any smooth, nonporous material.

Of all the methods of identification, fingerprinting alone has proved
to be both infallible and feasible. Its superiority over the older
methods, such as branding, tattooing, distinctive clothing,
photography, and body measurements (Bertillon system), has been
demonstrated time after time. Whil