Comparison Microscope Essay

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Comparison Microscope and its application to Forensic Science Introduction Comparison microscope is a device used to analyse side-by-side specimen. It has two identical microscopes join together by an optical bridge, which results in a spilt view window enabling both two specimens to be compared and analysed simultaneously. This allows observers to obtain much more reliable results when compare two separate objects than that of under conventional microscope. Comparison microscope plays an important role and widely used in forensic science. Without this device, the identification of toolmarks and firearms would be such a cumbersome process that it would be carried out on a very limited basis. (Lerner, 2005,World of Forensic Science, Encyclopedias) History Chemist Philip O. Gravelle and American Army Colonel Calvin Goddard were the pioneers who invented the comparison microscope in 1921. At that time the comparison microscope was used to compare fired bullets and casings because of the unique impression left on the fired bullets or cartridge case. Calvin Goddard Calvin Goddard perfected the comparison microscope and subsequently popularized its use. Comparison microscope was first introduced to the European scientists for firearms identification and other forensic uses by Sir Sydney Smith (Thorwald ,1964,wiki,) In the late 1920s, Swedish criminalist Harry Söderman drastically improved the comparison microscope by inventing a system for rotating the bullets under the objectives. This allowed for a much faster comparison of impressions of bullets by simultaneous rotation of both the suspect and comparison bullets. (Lerner, 2005,World of Forensic Science, Encyclopedias) During the 1960s, proposals were made to computerize the process of microscopic comparisons of fired ammunition components but at that time neither the software nor the hardware existed to
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