A Revised Superimposition Technique for Identification of the Individual from the Skull and Photograph

Abstract

Identification of the dead from the skull is of primary importance in criminal cases. It is often necessary to undertake examinations in the Forensic Science Laboratories to determine whether a skull could have belonged to a particular person whose photograph is available. It was Professor Brashl who in 1935 first suggested that the photographs of the missing person and the skull could be superimposed as an identification tedhnique. Since then various scientists have utilized this technique in many criminal cases. Mr. G. Webster2 gives a detailed description of the superimposition technique adopted in the Plumbago Pit case. Recently in the Corn field crime case of Peru, Dr. Basauri8 also used superimposed photographs, besides forensic odontology, for identification purposes. In all these cases the technique generally adopted has been described as follows: From the original photograph a negative retake is made. The original photograph may be a bust, a full length photo of the individual or a group photograph. In any case only the face is reproduced on the negative of definite format. The skull is then placed on a tripod, and its position is adjusted exactly to that of the face in the photograph. It is then focused on the ground glass at the same format. The reproduced negative is placed on the ground glass and the image of the skull is adjusted to super impose on the negative and then photographed. The adjustment is made by drawing an outline of the face or by marking the prominent anatomical points of the face on the ground glass. Finally the two negatives are superimposed to give a positive print. Then the photograph is enlarged and points that are coinciding are noted and opinion given.