<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Henry Classification System is a long - standing method by which fingerprints are sorted by physiological characteristics for one - to - many searching . Developed by Hem Chandra Bose, Azizul Haque and Sir Edward Henry in the late 19th century for criminal investigations in British India, it was the basis of modern - day AFIS (Automated Fingerprint Identification System) classification methods up until the 1990s . In recent years, the Henry Classification System has generally been replaced by ridge flow classification approaches . </P> <P> Although fingerprint characteristics were studied as far back as the mid-1600s, the use of fingerprints as a means of identification did not occur until the mid-19th century . In roughly 1859, Sir William James Herschel discovered that fingerprints remain stable over time and are unique across individuals; as Chief Magistrate of the Hooghly district in Jungipoor, India, in 1877 he was the first to institute the use of fingerprints and handprints as a means of identification, signing legal documents, and authenticating transactions . The fingerprint records collected at this time were used for one - to - one verification only; as a means in which records would be logically filed and searched had not yet been invented . </P> <P> In 1880, Dr. Henry Faulds wrote to Charles Darwin, explaining a system for classifying fingerprints, asking for his assistance in their development . Darwin was unable to assist Dr. Faulds, but agreed to forward the letter to his cousin, Sir Francis Galton . Dr. Henry Faulds and Sir Francis Galton did not engage in much correspondence, but in the following decade, they devised very similar fingerprint classification systems . It is unclear whom to credit for the classification system . However, we do know that Dr. Henry Faulds was the first European to publish the notion of scientific use of fingerprints in the identification of criminals . In 1892, Sir Francis Galton published his highly influential book, Finger Prints in which he described his classification system that include three main fingerprint patterns - loops, whorls and arches . </P>

Who is credited with developing the first classification system for fingerprints