rabhiram19@aischennai.

org
A Laboratory Exploration of the Integumentary System

Objectives
To analyze the structures and functions of the integumentary system
To examine the fingerprints of your fingers and compare it with others in the class.
Use the knowledge of fingerprint to identify the suspect in the crime scene
To observe the regions of your hair
To experience piloerection

Standard
SAP1. Students will analyze anatomical structures in relationship to their physiological
functions. a
SAP2 -Students will analyze the interdependence of the integumentary, skeletal, and
muscular systems as these relate to the protection, support and movement of the human
body.
Fingerprints have been used for identification throughout history, but it was Sir William Herschel
in Jungipoor, India, who first recognized their true potential. He was the first to espouse the
theory that all fingerprints are unique to an individual and are permanent throughout a persons
lifetime. A student of his, Juan Vucetich, made the first criminal fingerprint identification in 1892
when he used Francis Rojas bloody fingerprint to convince a jury she had murdered her two
sons. Today, we now accept as common fact that 1) all fingerprints are unique, and no two are
exactly identical, 2) a fingerprint will remain unchanged during a persons lifetime, and 30
fingerprints have distinct patterns that can be classified and used for comparison.

Fingerprinting was not widely accepted means of identification in the United States until 1902,
when the New York Civil Service began collecting and using fingerprints. Prior to this,
fingerprints had been studied widely and even were used to solve a murder case in Argentina in
1892.
Fingerprints can be broadly classified into three ridge flow patterns: loop, arch, and whorl. Loops
are the most common type of fingerprint. On average 65% of all fingerprints are loops.
Approximately 30% of the fingerprints are whorls, and arches occur about 5% of the time. There
are subcategories for each of these.

Loops are subdivided into radial loops (the loop enters and exits the finger on the side closest to
the thumb) and ulna loops (the loop enters and exits the finger on the side closest to the pinky
finger). Arches can be plain (the ridges are flat or only show a slight peak) or tented (sharp, well
defined peak). Whorls can be plain, central pocket (elevated, usually smaller whorl pattern),
double loop (whorl made of two distinct loop patterns), or accidental (combination of all of the
above).

In order to conclusively match individual fingerprints, fingerprint examiners use ridge

characteristics, also known as minutia. The most common types of ridge characteristics are
bifurcations, ridge endings, and islands, though there are several different categories and
subcategories for each of these. A single rolled fingerprint may have more than 100 different
ridge characteristics. In the United States there is no minimum number of ridge characteristics
that must be used to match up two fingerprints (though eight or more is considered standard
and twelve is sufficient). However, the match must be made by one verified fingerprint
examiner (usually trained by the International Association for Identification (IAI)) and verified
by second verified examiner.
Much of this is done currently with the help of computers.

Interesting Fact

The grooves in fingerprints enhance our ability to sense textures, according to a recent
study.

Activity #1

Examination of Fingerprints
Are some fingerprints are more common than others?

1. Place one edge of the thumb of your right hand against the inkpad. Allow your thumb to roll
naturally across the slab to its opposite edge, so the entire area to be printed is covered with ink.

2. Repeat the movement with thumb on the space provided below. The sheet of paper on which the
inked finger is pressed must rest on a firm surface.

3. Use the blank squares given below

4. Repeat with index finger.

5. Place the remaining 3 fingers of your hand directly onto the spaces provided below.

6. Repeat the above steps with your left hand and also partners right hand.

7. Compare each fingerprint to the provided examples. Determine whether it is a loop, square, or
 arch.

Record your data below

Record your partners data here

DATA: COLLECTED FROM HANDOUT

Using the data from both your hands, count the total number of looks, whorls, and arches

Total # Loops: _3__________

Total # Whorls: __5__________
Total # Arches: ___7___________

As a class, calculate the total number of loop, whorl, and arch fingerprints for the entire class.
Record that data here (Use Google document to share your data)

Classroom Total # Loops: ___63__________

Classroom Total # Whorls: _____33_______
Classroom Total # Arches: _____14_______
Classroom Total # All fingerprints: ___110________

Next, calculate the Percentage of each type of fingerprint in your classroom population.
For example, the Percentage of Loops = (Total # Loops/Total # All Fingerprints) x 100

Percentage Loops: 57.2%

Percentage Whorls 30%
Percentage Arches: 12.7%
Total Percentages: 100%

The chart below shows how often each of these types of fingerprints occur in the national
population. Use this chart to answer the following questions.

a) Which is greater: the number of loop fingerprints in the national population, or the
number of what whorl fingerprints plus the number of arch fingerprints?

The number of loop fingerprints

(65% > (35%+5%))

b) In a random sampling of 1000 fingerprints from the national population, approximately

how many arch fingerprints can you expect to find?
 0.05 x 1000 = approximately 50 arch fingerprints

Use the data collected from your class as a whole to fill in the next graph. Use the data from
both graphs to answer the following questions.

a) Does the graph of fingerprints in your class look the same as the graph of the national
averages? Why or why not?

Though the graphs will probably be similar, they may not be identical. There is
natural variation in all populations. The first graph only shows the averages for the US
population

b) The fingerprints from a recent crime scene are shown on the next page. Using the data
from the national population would you say this suspect has common fingerprints? Why
or why not? Look at the patterns of the fingerprints

Of the suspects 10 fingerprints, 3 (30%) are arches, 3 (30%) are whorls, and 4 (40%) are
loops.
He has an unusually high number of arches, making his fingerprints highly unusual

Fingerprints from crime scene

Activity: Do the suspects fingerprints match those at the crime scene?

In the previous exercise, you should have noticed that everybody has similar fingerprints. For
example, many students in your class may have fingerprints that are all loops, or nine loops and a
whorl. If everyones fingerprints are so similar, how can forensic scientists link certain
fingerprints to a specific individual?
Forensic scientists use ridge characteristics to identify an individual's fingerprints. These
include:
Three weeks ago a local bakery was robbed at gunpoint. The thief wore a mask, so even when
the police found a suspect the bakery owner couldnt make a positive ID. However, as the CSI
processing the scene, you collected several fingerprints from various parts of the bakery.
The police have identified a suspect, but he says hes never been to that bakery. Its your job to
see if the suspects fingerprints match any of those recovered at the scene of the crime.

1. Can you identify any ridge characteristics on the suspects prints? on the prints from the
crime scene? Circle and label any ridge characteristics you find.

There are a variety of ridge characteristics. The most common will be ridge
endings, lakes, and bifurcations, but there are also hooks, dots, and islands.

2. Do any of the crime scene fingerprints match the suspects fingerprints? Label any
matching crime scene fingerprints with the hand and finger they come from.

From Cash Register (top row) = Left Thumb

From Display Case = NO MATCH
From Cash Register (bottom row) = Right Thumb
From Door = Left Pinkie
From Door = Left Ring

3. Do any of the crime scene prints NOT match the suspects prints? Who do you think
could have contributed these prints?

The print from the display case does not match the suspect. This print could
belong to the shop owner or a customer

4. Do you think the suspect committed this crime? Why or why not? Explain

Yes, I feel the suspect would have committed this crime. Bear in mind that
1) the suspect has defiantly been to the bakery, which contradicts his earlier
statement, and
2) one of his prints was found on the cash register. Even if he was in the
bakery as a customer, why would his print be on the cash register?

5. Having understood the role of fingerprints in solving the crime scene would you support
using fingerprints as a method to detect the culprit/thief? Give reasons to support your
answer.
 Fingerprint is one of the useful method in identifying the culprit.
Fingerprints are considered to be an infallible means of identification. No two
fingerprints are exactly alike. However, since fingerprints are extremely valuable,
they are also an extremely fragile pieces of evidence. In crime scene evidence
recovery, it is essential that fingerprints be located, processed, and recovered first.

Appendages of the Skin

The appendages of the skinhair, nails, and cutaneous glandsall derive from the epidermis, but
they reside in the dermis. They originate from the stratum germinativum and grow downward into the
deeper skin regions.

Hair

Objective: Identify the major regions of a hair and hair follicle. Try and determine specific structures
of a hair cuticle.

Hair is found all over the entire body surface, except for the palms of the hands, the soles of the
feet, parts of the external genitalia, the nipples, and the lips. A hair enclosed in a hair follicle is also an
epithelial structure. The part of the hair enclosed within the follicle is called the root; the portion
projecting from the skin is the shaft. The hair is formed by mitosis (dividing) of the germinal
epithelial cells at the base of the follicle (the hair bulb). As the daughter cells are pushed away from
the growing region, they become keratinized and die; thus the bulk of the hair shaft, like the bulk of
the epidermis, is dead material.
A hair consists of a central region (medulla) surrounded first by the cortex and then by a
protective cuticle.
The hair follicle is made of structures from both epidermal and dermal cells. Its inner epidermal
sheath is enclosed by the external sheath, which is essentially connective tissue. A small nipple of
dermal tissue, the connective papilla, protrudes into the hair bulb from the dermal sheath and provides
nutrition to growing hairs. If you look carefully at the structure of the hair follicle you will see that it
generally is in a slanted position. Small bands of smooth muscle arrector piliconnect each hair
follicle to the dermis. When these muscles contract (during cold or fright), the hair follicle is pulled
upright, dimpling the skin surface with goose bumps.

Activity
Microscopic Examination of Hair

1. With forceps carefully grasp a hair on your head or leg. Using a sharp motion, pull the hair in the
 direction it is growing so that you do not injure either the bulb or the shaft.

2. Examine your hair under the dissecting scope. Identify the bulb and the shaft. Draw a picture
below: be as detailed as possible.

Activity
Piloerection
Piloerection occurs when the body hair shifts in position, becoming more perpendicular to the
skin. In many animals, piloerection traps a layer of air between the skin and a raised meshwork of hair.
This air is then heated by the body and provides an additional layer of insulation against the external cold.

1. Obtain a bag with ice cubes and rest the bag on your forearm or your thigh. After a minute or two,
goose flesh the small raised bumps in the skinwill appear. Goose flesh is cause by the
contraction of the arector pili muscles in the dermis. The contraction of these muscles pulls the
hair follicles, which in turn causes the appearance of the bumps and causes the hair to stand on
end.

2. Use the hand lens to examine the goose flesh and the piloerection hairs. Describe what you see.

3. Why is it more difficult to induce piloerection in a warmer laboratory? Why does this experiment
usually work better on your thigh than on your forearm?

Nails
Objective: Identify the major regions of the nail.

Nails, the hornlike derivatives of the epidermis, consist of a free edge, a body (visible, attached
portion), and a root (embedded in the skin and adhering to an epithelial mail bed). The borders of the nail
are overlapped by skin folds called nail folds. The thick proximal nail fold is commonly called the cuticle.
The germinal cells are responsible for cell growth. As new cells are produced by the matrix, they
become heavily keratinized and die.
Nails are transparent and nearly colorless, but they appear pink because of the blood supply in the
underlying dermis. The exception to this is the proximal region of the thickened nail matrix, which
appears as a white crescent called the lunula. When someone is cyanotic due to lack of oxygen in the
blood, the nail bed takes on a big cast.

Activity
Identifying Nail structures

1. Examine the fingers of your partners right hand.

2. Locate all the parts of the nail in your text.

3. Use the lens to closely examine your nail. Draw and label a picture and describe what you see.

4. Describe how your nail compares to your partners.

Conclusion