AFTE Store - Reprint: A Fingernail Identification

The nail plate ridges and grooves are formed by the same process as fingerprint friction ridges, and there is ample evidence that the topographical features of man’s skin in all regions of the body is individual to that person. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude the ridges and characteristics of the nail plate are also individual to the person from whom the nail originated. This article originally appeared in the AFTE Journal Vol. 12 1 January 1980.