Features of fingerprints , artwork from Dr Henry Faulds's Guide to Finger-print Identification, 1905. Faulds, a Scottish scientist, was an early developer of fingerprint analysis. Convinced that the patterns of ridges on fingertips were unique, he set about trying to develop a system of analysis. He described several identifying features, including whorls, arches and loops, as shown here. His system was not used by the criminal justice system, partly because Faulds believed the full set of 10 fingerprints were needed for an identification. However, he was one of the earliest advocates of using fingerprints as forensic evidence. For this image without labels see H200/400.