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Practical Forensic Microscopy: A Laboratory Manual 2nd Edition
An applied approach to teaching forensic microscopy in educational settings, featuring new experiments and an up-to-date overview of the field
Practical Forensic Microscopy: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition, is a unique resource that brings the microscopic procedures used by real-world forensic investigators to the college laboratory, providing hands-on knowledge of the microscopes and microscopic techniques used in the field. Presenting a balanced, skills-based approach to the subject, this student-friendly lab manual contains dozens of experiments designed to cover the various microscopic evidence disciplines, including examinations of fingerprints, firearm, toolmark, shoeprint and tire impressions, gunshots, fibers, soil, glass breakage, drugs, semen, and human hair.
The second edition includes revised and updated experiments that reflect current technologies and techniques used in forensic science, including new experiments examining plastic film, food condiments, feathers, building materials, explosive residue, cigarette butts and more. Each chapter includes a list of simple objectives for the experiment, a general overview of the topic, further readings, and selected references. The manual contains worksheets and templates for students to use when compiling analytical results. The concluding chapter features an innovative case scenario that requires students to analyze items of evidence, complete a laboratory report, reach a conclusion, and present their findings. This popular lab manual:
- Teaches practical forensic microscopy skills through hands-on experiments and engaging practical activities
- Covers a wide range of microscopes and forensic tools, including stereomicroscopes, ocular micrometers, and fluorescence, polarized light, and phase contrast microscopes
- Explains simple stereomicroscopic techniques for analyzing various types of common forensic evidence
- Includes more complex procedures for examining biological, drug, and trace evidence Discusses laboratory safety, microscope maintenance, and the Micro Kit
Written by an author with years of academic and professional experience, Practical Forensic Microscopy: A Laboratory Manual, 2nd Edition, is a must-have companion for any college-level forensic science course with a laboratory component, and is a useful supplement for related courses that cover microscopy and the principles of forensic lab procedures.
Table of Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xi
Laboratory Safety xiii
Microscope Maintenance xv
The Micro Kit xvii
About the Companion Website xix
Experiments 1
1 Stereomicroscope 3
Experiment 1A: Familiarization with the Stereomicroscope 5
2 Compound Light Microscope 13
Experiment 2A: Familiarization with the Compound Light Microscope 15
Experiment 2B: Measurements Using the Ocular Micrometer 23
Experiment 2C: Microscopic Mounting Techniques 29
Experiment 2D: Determining Refractive Index 35
3 Polarized Light Microscope 47
Experiment 3A: Familiarization with the Polarized Light Microscope 49
Experiment 3B: Determining Refractive Index of Anisotropic Materials 57
Experiment 3C: Determining Sign of Elongation and Birefringence 63
4 Fluorescence Microscope 69
Experiment 4A: Familiarization with the Fluorescence Microscope 71
5 Phase Contrast Microscope 77
Experiment 5A: Familiarization with the Phase Contrast Microscope 79
Application Experiments 85
6 Experiment 6: Physical Match Examinations 87
7 Experiment 7: Construction Examinations of Evidence 93
8 Experiment 8: Lamp Filament Examinations 103
9 Experiment 9: Fingerprint Examination and Comparison 113
10 Experiment 10: Tool Mark Examinations 121
11 Experiment 11: Firearms Examinations 127
Experiment 11A: Gunshot Residue Examinations 135
12 Experiment 12: Shoe and Tire Impression Examinations 145
13 Experiment 13: Botanical Examinations 151
14 Experiment 14: Paint Examinations 159
15 Experiment 15: Cigarette Butt Examinations 165
16 Experiment 16: Document Examinations 173
17 Experiment 17: Hair Examinations 183
Experiment 17A: Animal Hair Examinations 195
Experiment 17B: Determination of Racial and Somatic Origin Characteristics of Human Hair 205
Experiment 17C: Human Hair Examinations and Comparisons 213
Experiment 17D: Evaluation of Human Hair for DNA 223
18 Experiment 18: Feather Examinations 231
19 Experiment 19: Glass Breakage Determinations 239
Experiment 19A: Glass Examinations 247
20 Experiment 20: Fiber Examinations 257
Experiment 20A: Natural Fiber Examinations 265
Experiment 20B: Man-made Fiber Examinations 279
Experiment 20C: Fiber Comparisons 289
21 Experiment 21: Soil Examinations 295
Experiment 21A: Identification of Minerals in Soil 303
22 Experiment 22: Microchemical Testing – Inorganic Ions 317
23 Experiment 23: Building Material Examinations 329
24 Experiment 24: Explosive Residue Examinations 337
25 Experiment 25: Food Condiment Examinations 345
26 Experiment 26: Plastic Film Examinations 355
27 Experiment 27: Microscopic Examination of Controlled Substances 363
28 Experiment 28: Semen Examinations 377
Application Experiments, Instrumental Microscopy 383
29 Experiment 29: Fourier Transform Infrared Microspectrometry Examinations 385
30 Experiment 30: UV-Visible-NIR Microspectrophotometry Examinations 395
31 Experiment 31: Thermal Microscopy Examinations 405
32 Experiment 32: Scanning Electron Microscopy Examinations 413
33 Experiment 33: Case Study Scenario 423
Appendices 429
A Optical Properties of Natural Fibers 431
B Optical Properties of Man-made Fibers 433
C Michel-Lévy Chart 437
D Dispersion Staining Graph 439
E Circle Template 441
Glossary of Microscopy Terms 443
Index 453
BARBARA P. WHEELERÂ worked with the Kentucky State Police Forensic Laboratory for many years, providing forensic work and analytical examinations to the law enforcement community. As Adjunct Professor in the Forensic Science Program at Eastern Kentucky University, she taught in various forensic courses and with placing students in laboratory internships. Wheeler has worked thousands of criminal cases and has testified in district, state, and federal courts as an expert witness in forensics.
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