Acknowledging the Indian Innovators: Fingerprints International Journal of Education and Research in Health Sciences, July-September 2016;2(3):33 33 IJERHS Acknowledging the Indian Innovators: Fingerprints Sandeep Kadu IJERHS EdItoRIal 10.5005/jp-journals-10056-0001 How to cite this article: Kadu S. Acknowledging the Indian Innovators: Fingerprints. Int J Educ Res Health Sci 2016;2(3):33. IntroductIon Establishing identity of a person has intrigued the caretakers of the society since ages. The use of fingerprints for the same has been around for a long time, and the Chinese are said to be the first to use fingerprints for forensic identification in 221 to 206 BC. Over the centuries, the Chinese, Persian, Dutch, German, English, French, American, and Argentine experts evolved it further. Notable among them were Hamadani, Bidloo, Malpighi, Mayers, Purkinge, Herschel, Coulier, Faulds, Vucetich, Galton, and Henry. One of the notable developments in the use of fingerprints was the “Henry System of Fingerprint Classification” for which Edward Henry was awarded knighthood. 1-3 However, forgotten in this maze were the names of two Indians working in the police services of the erstwhile British Raj. They were Sub Inspector (SI) Azizul Haque and Sub Inspector Hem Chandra Bose. Both were the innovators who devised an effective method to classify the fingerprints facilitating their archiving and efficient retrieval. They worked under Edward Henry who was the Inspector General of Bengal Police of British India. He had pooled the services of Haque and Bose to further his ideas of development of use of fingerprints in forensic investigations. The effectiveness of the system was a major factor in convincing the Bengal Police to implement use of fingerprints in place of anthropometry in 1897. The same was deftly implemented in England in 1901 after Henry’s lecture to the British Association. 2-4 However, one glaring omission/commission happened by Sir Edward Henry, i.e., of not acknowledging the efforts of Azizul Haque and HC Bose in his lectures and the book tilted The Classification and Uses of Fingerprints. The same has been explored in depth by two researchers from India: GS Sondi and Jasjeet Kaur. 1 The two have painstakingly sieved through numerous documents to bring to light the pioneering work by Haque and Bose. 2 The recognition for the duo came though very late. The UK Fingerprint Society has started a scholarship “The Fingerprint Society Azizul Haque and Hem Chandra Bose Prize” for students and professionals who come up with novel ideas for forensic identification. Azizul Haque and HC Bose deserve a better place in the global forensic screen and would get due recognition for their efforts to develop a valid system for identification in the days to come. rEFErEncES 1. Sodhi GS, Kaur J. The forgotten Indian pioneers of fingerprint science. Curr Sci 2005 Jan;88(1):185-191. 2. Finger Print Society. Haque Aziz and Bose HC Prize. Available from: www.fpsociety.org.uk The Society Haque and bose. html. Accessed on 2 Sep 2016. 3. Singha R. Settle, mobilize, verify: identification practices in colonial India. Aligarh Muslim University. p. 28-34. Available from: www.oslo2000.uio.noprogrampaperss4s4- singha.pdf 4. Tewari RK, Ravikumar KV. History and development of forensic science in India. J Postgrad Med 2000;46(4): 303-308. Professor Department of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College & Hospital, Ahmednagar Maharashtra, India Corresponding Author: Sandeep Kadu, Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Dr. Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation’s Medical College & Hospital, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India e-mail: dr.sandeepkadu@gmail.com