Sufficient experience has been gained during the past five years to suggest an extended application of microreplication and scanning electron microscopy to problems of forensic science. The author's research was originally initiated with a view to develop a non-destructive method for identification of materials that went into objects of art, notably ivory and ivories. This was followed by a very specific application to the identification and duplication of the kinds of materials from animal teeth and tusks which two centuries ago went into the fabrication of the ivory dentures of George Washington. Subsequently it became apparent that a similar method of microreplication and SEM examination offered promise for a whole series of problems pertinent to art, technology and science. Furthermore, what began primarily as an application to solid substances has turned out to be similarly applicable to soft tissue surfaces such as mucous membranes and skin, even in cases of acute, chronic and precancerous epithelial surface changes, and to post-mortem identification of specific structures pertinent to forensic science.
