ABSTRACT
Per the Encyclopedia Britannica ngerprints are “impressions made by the papillary ridges on the ends of the ngers and thumbs” [4]. e practice of ngerprinting as a means of identication is also known as dactyloscopy and is widely used in current law enforcement [4]. Sweat pores are located on each ridge of the epidermis which is anchored to the dermis by papillae [4]. e ngerprints have patterns that look like loops, arches, or whorls. ese forms and outlines evolved onto eight basic patterns, which are still used by the FBI today [5]. e eight patterns can be observed on Figure 9.1. e distribution in the population of the ngerprint patterns is described as follows: 65% have loops, 30% have whorls, and 5% have arches. e most frequent pattern is the ulnar loop [5].
