Microscope, instrument used to obtain a magnified image of minute objects or minute details of objects.
Forensic Science or Medical Jurisprudence, also called forensics, the application of science to law. Forensic science uses highly developed technologies to uncover scientific evidence in a variety of fields.
Modern forensic science has a broad range of applications. It is used in civil cases such as forgeries, fraud, or negligence. It can help law-enforcement officials determine whether any laws or regulations have been violated in the marketing of foods and drinks, the manufacture of medicines, or the use of pesticides on crops. It can also determine whether automobile emissions are within a permissible level and whether drinking water meets legal purity requirements. Forensic science is used in monitoring the compliance of various countries with such international agreements as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention and to learn whether a country is developing a secret nuclear weapons program. However, forensic science is most commonly used to investigate criminal cases involving a victim, such as assault, robbery, kidnapping, rape, or murder.
History
The combination of a medical and legal approach to dealing with crimes used in the United States today had its origin in England in the 12th century, when King Richard I established the Office of the Coroner. Although the coroner's main duty was to keep a record of all criminal matters in the county, he was also responsible for investigating all deaths thought to be the result of suicide or homicide.
With time, the need for a more scientific investigation of unnatural deaths became apparent, and coroners began calling on physicians for help. Over the centuries, it became clear that medical schools needed to prepare doctors for this responsibility. As a result, in 1807 the University of Edinburgh in Scotland established a Department of Legal Medicine..............
