Have you ever looked at your hands? Specifically, have you ever carefully studied your fingerprints? I’ll bet if you ever did, it was probably as a child. Perhaps you did some craft project that allowed you to rub your hands on an ink pad then use them as stamps across construction paper. Maybe you’re like me and you remember your mother complaining because you left fingerprints on windows, doorways or walls through the house. However, unless one happens to be a forensic scientist, it’s not likely one even considers their fingerprints much as an adult.
The history of fingerprint identification is a fascinating one. The use of fingerprints for business transactions can be found on clay tablets and seals from ancient Babylon and China. Various studies as early as 1686 discuss fingerprint ridges, but the practice of using them as identification did not happen again until 1858 when Sir William James Herschel used them in Jungipoor, India on contracts with natives. Incidently, the use of fingerprinting in the United States. did not happen until 1882. Gilbert Thompson, an employee of the U.S. Geological Survey in New Mexico was the first to do so when he used his own thumbprint to authenticate a receipt he wrote to “Lying Bob.”
Many people believe that fingerprints are created by genetic influence. However, in reality, fingerprints are created by erosion of the epidermis. As a baby grows within its mother’s womb, amniotic fluid swirls around its body, carving grooves into the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. For this reason, no two people, not even identical twins, have the same fingerprints.
The way an individual touches is just as unique as the fingerprints. One could argue that simply because the fingerprints are unique, it is impossible for two people to have the same touch. However, let’s take this a few steps farther. Each individual approaches a tactile encounter with others differently. There are numerous factors to consider, such as the intent behind the touch, the part of the body receiving touch, the pressure used, the duration of physical contact and even the relationship between the two individuals. With all these facets to the encounter, it’s no wonder touch itself is as distinctive and discriminate as the fingerprints left behind.
Either way, an impression has been made. So, may you be attentive to the fingerprints you leave, whether they are on a surface or the heart of another.
