Examining Skin, Hairs, And Body Cells

The crime victim is always carefully wrapped in plastic and taken to police headquarters or to crime laboratories for further examination. Proper care is taken to ensure that no possible clues or evidence on the body are disturbed, such as the skin cells and hairs caught under a fingernail of the victim. A pathologist or a specially trained doctor will try to establish the cause of death and make a forensic documentation of what has been found on the body connecting to the crime sometimes with the help of forensic microscopes. Examination of the victim’s hair may reveal unusual by the chemical thallium. Forensic scientists will try and determine who the murder suspect was by microscopically examining the trapped skin cells and hairs using a forensic microscope. Genetic fingerprinting involved studying the pattern made by separating the chemical within the DNA, the genetic of the hereditary material in living cells which determined a person’s characteristics. DNA exists in tiny chromosomes. The DNA pattern is different for everybody, with the exception of identical twins, so comparing DNA patterns from the suspect’s cells and those from the victim to establish guilt of the suspect.

Microscopic examination of human hair, using a forensic comparison microscope, can provide indications of person’s age, sex, ethnic group. Forensic comparison microscope results can also determine from which part of the body the hair came. By studying the pattern of the scales from the outer surface of hair, a forensic scientist can tell if it is human, or from a pet such as cat or dog or other hairy animals. When hair is cut with scissors, the end is square. Hair has been neglected tends to split at the end. This may link the suspect to the crime. Dandruff can also be considered as a clue.

BODY CELLS

PLANT AND ANIMAL MATERIAL

An obvious clue to a serious crime is a bloodstain on the victim’s clothing. Microscopic studies of the blood can reveal if the stain also includes some blood from the attacker, this can be observed in dry blood analysis with the use of forensic microscopes. The shape of the blood splashes at the scene can tell how a wound was inflicted, and if the victim was moved after being stabbed or shot. In a sexual attack, traces of a man’s sperm may be found on clothing of the victim, bed sheets and on the area of the crime. Or a severed arm or leg may be discovered, and a sample of tissue removed for further analysis. Examination of chromosomes in the cells using forensic microscopes, can establish at least at the sex of the victim. A pathologist will study these and many types of cells, both chemically under a microscope, for signs of poison, drugs, or bruising.

Blood consist of a mass of microscopic cells. Certain disease produce abnormally shaped or roughened red and white blood cells, so careful microscopic observation can identify if the victim is suffering from any diseases. The white blood cells of woman show minute drumstick-shaped projections. Such clues may link sample to a suspect and thus help detectives to catch the criminal. Sperm are man’s sex cells. An adult man produces about 200 million sperm a day. Sperm are so tiny that several hundred would easily fit onto a pin-head. Clothing worn by a victim or suspect in an assault case is usually examined for sperm. Any found can be tested chemically to identify the man involved, so this case is easily solved if the evidence is found immediately.

Human cells contain microscopic chromosomes. These are arranged in pairs. One special pair, the sex chromosomes, differs in males and females. In females there are two large X chromosomes, and in male an X a smaller Y chromosome. Microscopic studies of chromosomes taken cells found at the scene of a crime and this can be a analyzed using a live cell analysis of the specimen found in the crime scene.

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