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Personal Identification and Description   211

any system in which the symbols will be self-explanatory, and neither in Galton's original, nor in the present condensed system has this been attempted. The problem of the Identification Bureau is to balance the time lost in writing down and in reading a complicated system, against the time lost in examining the multiple entries of a more simple classification.

Table illustrating how Galton's System of Finger-Print indexing may be
condensed and at the same time further developed.

Directory

 

1

2

3*

4

5

6

7

 

8

Right

Hand

Left

Hand

.c -

W ,a

,,4 a

E~,, E+

Right Hand

Left Hand

Right

Hand

Left

Hand

 

Number

Register

in

F.M.R.

F.   M. R.

F.   M. R.

Th. L.

Th. L.

F.M.R.

Aal

all

5 5

-

l -

-

- yw

v -

vw -

 

3550

Rll

rll

5 5

12

- vy

-

ky y

v -

- -

 

3531

Rll

rww

8 8

k

- v

vk

sb sb

- -

sb -

 

2351

Rlw

ull

5 5

kvw

r by

3ay

- --

v -

- -

 

3660

Rlw

wwzv

9 5

j'k

rko

sb -

- -

 

1985

- -

s

s

Ull

ull

5 5

10c

-

vyc

i

c

-

- -

-

 

3617

Ull

www

5 8

v

v

v

r

ko

-

vw -

sq -

 

3560

Ulwv

rlw

8 8

-

- -

avk

-

ryl

j• -

s -

 

3498

Wll

rll

8 8

kvr

- --

2

t

-

g -

gs -

 

3554

Wlw

emvw

8 8

rt

- -

ly

-

j'

o   v

vs -

 

738

The following are the values on our present condensed system

 

b

b

u6

b6

b a

b96 a

u'

b

b C' C' a64 C'

{3} b

b

b lO

b

b

C

C A90

b

b

b

b'

b9

b

b

B

B40

A

C9

b Us

b k54

C

{2} b

b

b a

C3

b

B

B PO

C'

Y a K b b

b' a b b50 b {xii} Ba4bb'b b' u4' a B" b C'ci46BB.

bb'bb"'b{x} v' b' b' b' b

v.5 b b B b B'A4b b b b

B' A b B 6'

3550 3531 2351 3660 1985 3617 3560 3498 3554

738

With Galton : Th. = Thumb ; F. = Forefinger; M. =Middle finger; R. =Ring finger; L. =Little finger. In the condensed system, the fingers are in "natural order from left little to right little finger." The vertical is placed between the two thumbs.

We have now to consider briefly the remainder of this last finger-print work of Francis Galton.

In the introductory Chapter Galton clearly defines his aim. Scotland Yard was beginning to form a vast collection of finger-prints, but these were to be primarily classified by four or five anthropometric measurements, so that the number of finger-prints in a group would not amount to more than a few hundreds or at most to, perhaps, 3000. It was the large groups in these subindices which Galton desired to break up. He was not describing how to deal with indices of 100,000 to 200,000 sets; that is a more modern problem.

* See our p. 198.

27-2


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