Authors
Deepshikha Singh, Dr. Lav Kesharwani, A.K. Jain, A.K Gupta
Abstract
Hair is the most frequently found trace evidence in the crime cases. It assists in establishing a relation between a crime scene, a victim and a criminal. Morphology of hair can be helpful in forensic investigations to distinguish hair. In this context for the purpose of analysis, medulla, inner cuticle margin (distinct, indistinct & varied), cuticle thickness & scaling pattern were considered. Five different states (Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Bengal, Jharkhand and Nagaland) were selected to analyze the structural similarity and dissimilarity from each other. Compound microscope was used for the purpose of observation. There was significant difference between five states of India. The purpose of study was to develop a data base by analyzing the cuticle thickness, inner cuticle margin, medulla, & scaling pattern in human head hair in different states of India to narrow down forensic analysis in crime scene investigation. Keywords: Morphological Features of Hair, Forensic Consideration
Introduction
Hairs are a potentially ubiquitous trace material in several categories of forensic investigation. Hair is a protein filament which grows from follicles and further found in the dermis or skin. Hair is one of the defining features of the mammals. The human body apart from zones of glabrous skin is covered in follicles which produces thick terminal and fine vellus hair. The part beneath the skin is called as the hair follicle or when the same pulled from the skin considered as bulb. The length of hair extends from its root or bulb embedded in the follicle which continues into a shaft of the hair and terminates at a tip. The shaft of the hair is composed of three layers i.e., Cuticle, Cortex and Medulla. Cuticle is considered as the outermost layer of the hair, medulla is known as the innermost layer and cortex is considered as middle layer i.e. in between the cuticle and medulla. Hair is commonly encountered evidence on a crime scene which includes Murder, Homicidal, Sexual assault, accident or many more cases. Different states have different morphological features in hair depending upon their habitat, environment and their eating habits which can resulted into change in their scaling pattern, medulla, cuticle thickness etc. so the hair can be very useful evidence for forensic consideration and interpretation. Several researcher have contributed in this area of work.
A review of previous research work done by different authors is compiled to get an idea about the study conducted in this field and to access the scope of future researches in this field.
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| APA Style | Singh, D. et.al. (2018). Comparative Study of Morphological Features of Hair in Five State of India For Forensic Consideration. Academic Journal of Forensic Sciences, 01(02), 12-21. |
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