This article is the first in a series relating to the application of microscopy to forensic science. As such, the article is intended to be purely introductory in nature. Future articles will be specific both as to the forensic challenge and the solution as allowed by the creative application of microscopy.

Microscopy has played an integral part in forensic science since the early part of this century. In 1928, E. Locard established the practical and theoretical underpinnings of the microscopic examination of trace amounts of evidence. The “exchange principle of evidence” was so developed:

Whenever two objects come into contact there is always a transfer of material. The methods of detection may not be sensitive enough to demonstrate this or the decay rate may be so rapid that all evidence of transfer has vanished after a given time. Nonetheless, the transfer has taken place.

The EMSA Undergraduate Scholarship Program was developed in 1988 to encourage students to consider microscopy-related careers. Over the years, the program has expanded to include seniors as well as junior undergraduate students. The scholarship application includes a research proposal (including budget) written by the student, and letters of recommendation from a faculty member and project advisor. The response to the 1992 EMSA Undergraduate Scholarship Program was excellent, both in terms of student responses and quality of applications.

Our attention was caught by a recent article in this newsletter (Issue #7, September, 1992) entitled “Modern Microscopy on the Light Side. The FTIR Microscope” by Mr. Skip Palenik. Mr. Palenik makes some cogent points but we feel there is a bit more to the story. We are spectroscopists by training and experience and “...have done some reading and/or taken a short course...”, but we have not “...set ourselves up as microscopists...”, at least so far. We have, however, for the past nine years attempted to educate microscopists, spectroscopists. chemists and even non-scientists regarding the benefits of combining optical microscopy and molecular spectroscopy. We are convinced the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The very rapid acceptance of infrared microspeetroscopy by the analytical chemistry community reflects its power to solve diverse problems. One of the long time characteristics of infrared spectroscopy has been that its users vary greatly in their needs and thus in the sophistication in their systems. In connection with this, it must be realized that the fundamental laws of physics prevent the coupling of a microscope and an infrared spectrometer, in such a way as to optimize the performance of both, at a cost which can be borne by all users. As a result, some infrared microscopes have "been optimized for viewing capabilities while compromising spectroscopic capabilities and vice versa. Such compromises are not unusual in the field of infrared spectroscopy and the advantages gained by them constitute part of the reason for such widespread use of infrared in chemical analysis.