21-06-2013, 01:11 PM
A Study on Lip print patterns among the people of Maharashtra
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Abstract:
Physical surface of the lip has many elevations and depressions forming a characteristic pattern called lip prints, examination of which is referred to as Queiloscopy or Cheiloscopy. This is unique for individuals like the finger prints.
The current study is taken up to determine the predominant lip print type in the population of Maharashtra State .It include 70 male and 70 female subjects of Maharashtra origin. The middle portion, about 2cm on the both side of labial frenum of lower lip was taken as the study area. This portion happens to be most common as a latent impression on the exhibit procured from the crime scene. The non-glossy lipstick was uniformly applied on the lip and then the print was taken on a white paper. These prints were studied classified according to Tsuchihashi’s classification of Type long vertical(I), Short vertical(I’),Branched grooves (II), Intersecting grooves(III), Reticular grooves(IV) and other pattern(V).The further analysis was carried out on this classification It was found that the branched groove (II) was the predominant lip print in the population selected for the study.
Introduction:
The grooves present on the human lips are unique and can be used to determine identity.The study of these grooves or furrows present on the red part or the vermilion border of the human lips is known as cheiloscopy. [1] This biological phenomenon was first noted by anthropologists. R. Fischer was the first to describe it in 1902. [2] In Forensic investigation, cheiloscopy has been used to identify criminals. [3, 4] Yasuo Tsuchihashi in 1974 published a study on the lip print patterns of Japanese people. The lip prints were classified into six types, according to the shape and course of grooves: [5] Type I: Clear-cut grooves running vertically across the lip Type I’: The grooves are straight but disappear half-way instead of covering the entire breadth of the lip. Type II: The grooves fork in their course Type III: The grooves intersect Type IV: The grooves are reticular Type V: The grooves do not fall into any of the types I to IV and cannot be differentiated morphologically.
Materials and Methods:
1. Lipstick of a bright red color and non-glossy
2. Transparent cellophane tape, glued on one side
3. Scissors
4. White bond paper
The subjects were 70 males and 70 females whose family origins were from Maharashtra with age group of 25 to 40 years. The subjects were not suffering from any disease or deformities of lips
Procedure:
The subject was asked to open the mouth and a thin uniform layer of non- glossy lipstick was applied on lip sin a single stroke. The subject was asked to gently rub his/her lips together to spread the lipstick evenly. A strip of cellophane tape, 10 cm long was cut with scissors. The subject was asked to open the mouth slightly, and to keep the mouth stationary during the procedure. The glued portion of the cellophane tape was gently kept on lips. It was held in place, applying gentle and even pressure for a few seconds. Then the tape was carefully lifted from the lip, from one end to the other, avoiding any smudging of the print. The strip of cellophane was stuck on to a piece of white bond paper. The middle 2cm portion on the both side of labial frenum the lower lip was marked on the print with a pencil, which was the area to be studied which happens to be most common as a latent impression on the exhibit procured from the crime scene. This part was further divided along the centre to form left and right quadrants. The predominant type of grooves in each quadrant was noted and the grooves were classified according to Tsuchihashi‟s classification from types I to V. The frequency of each type of lip print was tabulated and the percentage of each type was calculated. Again lip print was analyzed in Mat-lab software.
Discussion:
It was observed that Type II and Type III was the most frequently observed in both the sexes and in both the quadrants. Other works on Indian subjects have yielded varying results. Sivapathasundharam, Prakash and Sivakumar studied the lip prints of Indo-Dravidian population and noted that Type III was predominant. [7] Manipady compared Indian and Chinese individuals and found that the incidence of Type II was the highest among Indians. These studies reveal that lip prints show racial differences which can be a useful adjunct to identification of the person. The present study revealed that the middle portion of the lower lip shows Type IV (reticular) as the predominant type. Cheiloscopy is a relatively new field among the large number of identification tools available to the forensic expert. Work on this subject has already elicited useful information such as that lip prints are unique to an individual and can be used to fix the identity of a person; that they remain stable over time and that lip prints show gender differences. [6, 8, 9] Further work on the subject can help to make cheiloscopy a practical reality at the ground level of the forensic identification process.