Study on Hair Morphology to Distinguish the Dominant Races in Malaysia for Forensic Investigation
Journal Title: Journal of Forensic Science & Criminology - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
Hair evidence is one of the most common types of evidence encountered in criminal investigations. The present preliminary study is aimed to investigate the racial discrimination through hair morphology viz. inner cuticle margin, cuticle thickness and medulla pattern among Malay, Chinese and Indian in Malaysia. Following standard procedure, a total of 180 volunteers’ head hair samples, each 60 (30 males, 30 females) from consented Malay, Chinese and Indian, have been collected for analysis. Approximately 1 cm length of each hair was cut and suitably mounted using clean microscope slide, cover slide and mounting medium for analysis. The prepared hair slides were subjected to microscopic examination under different magnifications viz. 40X, 100X and 400X. The result of the hair investigation showed marked differences in hair morphology among the three races. The frequency and percentage of distribution of different hair morphology were tabulated and also presented in the form of bar graphs. This pilot study, the first of its kind in Malaysia provided a promising result in hair investigation showing racial discrimination among dominant races in Malaysia and the result of the investigation can be very well used in crime investigation.
Authors and Affiliations
Nataraja Moorthy T
The Forensic Science Effect
As a criminal defense attorney and criminology professor, I am amazed and excited that so many Americans have an interest in forensic science. When striking juries, I used to ask how many jurors watched television shows...
Assessment of Cephalic and Facial Indices: A proof for Ethnic and Sexual Dimorphism
Cephalofacial measurements and indices are used to estimate sex and race. The aim of this is to document the craniofacial characteristics and sex differences from cephalic index and facial index of the studied groups. Ma...
The Perception of a Woman’s Love in a Relationship with a Prisoner is Erotic and Altruistic
Studies have reported the effects of imprisonment on the wives and girlfriends of prisoners, but have not investigated how these women perceive love and commitment. This study analyzes four different styles of love: eros...
Study on Efficiency of Protein Extractants Employed for Human Origin Determination of Blood
Human origin determination is an important aspect of blood grouping analysis in forensic science laboratories. In the present study, protein extractants like gel buffer, ammonia and saline employed for origin determinati...
A Model for Construction of Height and Sex from Shoulder Width, Arm Length and Foot Length by Regression Method
Anthropometry is a systematic study of measurements on man and it involves scientific techniques for taking various measurements and somatic observations on the living man. As crime rate is increasing day by day, issue f...