| The Bertillon System had been the bleeding edge of forensics for more than 30 years when it was demonstrated at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. Developed by French anthropologist Alphonse Bertillon, the system measured criminals’ body parts to help connect them to any crimes they committed later. Here, staff showed attendees how the police would record the dimensions of suspects’ body parts and markings, from their heads, spines, and feet to their tattoos, moles, and scars. But soon Bertillon’s system would become obsolete with the rise of the more accurate science of fingerprinting. |
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