Naked foot marks - a preliminary study of identification factors.

Footprints of 725 apparently healthy subjects (395 males and 330 females) between the ages of 18 and 30 years were obtained. A number of measurements were taken on each footprint and converted into suitable indices to overcome the problems of registration, recording and observation. Minimum and maximum probability values for each index and combined probabilities were calculated. From the data, it was found that the maximum combined frequency of an individual in the population was of the order of 10(-4) and the minimum combined consideration crease marks and other characteristic features. Thus the present study indicates that combined probabilities could provide reasonably reliable circumstantial evidence to link the criminal with the crime. Humps and creases, which often confer individuality on a print, form additional features of the study.