Level of Description: Fonds

Extent and Medium of the unit of description: 0.04 linear metres

Name of creator(s): Faulds, Dr J. Steven, Pathologist

Administrative/Biographical History
Henry Faulds was born in Ayrshire in 1843. He studied medicine at Anderson’s College in Glasgow and qualified as a Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow in 1871. He became a Church of Scotland Missionary to India and Japan. He began studying fingerprints in Japan in the 1870’s and is credited with the earliest fingerprint identification. His research was published in Nature Magazine in 1880. He asked Charles Darwin (1809-1882) for help in publicising his research but Darwin involved his cousin, Sir Francis Galton 1822-1911), who later claimed the credit for the discovery of fingerprinting. Faulds died in obscurity in 1930.

This collection mainly contains correspondence relating to the campaign led by Sheriff George W. Wilton to gain civil list pensions for the two daughters of Dr Henry Faulds. The campaign involved establishing that Dr Faulds had made a significant contribution in the discovery and development of fingerprinting in criminal investigations.

Scope and content
Correspondence between Sheriff G W Wilton and Dr J S Faulds, Dr J S Faulds and Dr G B Manning (a consultant Pathologist at Bolton Royal Infirmary) and between Sheriff G W Wilton and John Hewitt, Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, 1961-1962; pamphlets by Sheriff G W Wilton relating to fingerprints 1951-1957; newspaper cuttings relating to Dr Henry Faulds and fingerprinting, 1955-1964.

Conditions governing access
Access to some items may be restricted. Please contact the Archivist at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Conditions governing reproduction
Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance from the Archivist. We will try to assist in identifying copyright owners but the responsibility for copyright clearance before publication ultimately rests with the reader.

Language/scripts of material
English

Finding aids
Descriptive list available at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.

Archivist's Note
Compiled by Rachael Third, Scottish Archive Network Project, based on work undertaken by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow

Rules or Conventions
ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description, International Council on Archives (2nd edition, 2000).

Date(s) of Descriptions
March 2000