Fingerprints were first mentioned in Russia in 1867 in the book "Criminal Prosecution, Inquiry and Investigation of Crime by Judicial Statutes from 1864". The author (A.Kvatchevski) wrote about the possible identification of offenders by the means of fingerprints, but he meant the prints of the hand contours, and features of the finger and palm forms. Apparently, he did not know about the possibility of dactyloscopy.

   The first article about fingerprints in the Russian language appeared in the "Juridical Newspaper" on 8th July, 1892. The article was called "Fingerprints and their importance in Forensic Practice". It cited the foreign information about structure and individuality of the papillary patterns of the fingers, palms and soles. The article showed the criminalistic importance of these prints and listed several methods of development and examination of latent prints.

   The Moscow Criminal Police began to receive fingerprints in 1900, and the Kiev Criminal Police in 1903. These were taken only as an addition to the Anthropometric System.

   In 1904 two works about fingerprints were published; one in the "Journal of the Ministry of Justice" (author I.I.Gan) and the other, was a small brochure, (author German Dostal) both were called "Dactyloscopy".

   In 1906, the Inspector of the Chief Prison Directorate, a member of the Council of the Ministry of Justice, Full Privy Councillor N.F.Lutchinski was sent to Germany, to obtain first-hand knowledge of the system of fingerprint registration. After his return home he composed a detailed report with a fine history of fingerprints, characteristics of papillary patterns, methods of classification and organisation of the Register Systems. In the same year the Central Fingerprint Bureau (C.F.B.) was founded. N.F.Lutchinski was appointed as the Head of the Bureau.

   In the workshops of the St.Petersburg Solitary Confinement Prison about 1,000 fingerprint kits were made. These consisted of metal and wooden slabs, gummy rollers and ink containers. The Bureau printed 10,000 fingerprint cards and rules for fingerprinting and registration of the cards.

   In the CBS first year they made one identification. The system of classification of fingerprint cards was founded on the Galton classification. The system of fingerprint cards claasification in Russian Police was based on the combination of Galton system (basic fraction) with Roscher's system (additional fraction).

   In 1907 the weekly magazine "Police Bulletin" was published. The first edition ran an article called "What are Fingerprints?". It outlined the fundamental method of fingerprint identification, description of the fingerprinting technique, patterns, classification and other problems. The journal ran for nine years and published over 100 articles about fingerprint registration and examination.

   In 1908 the Ministry of Internal Affairs produced rules for development, preservation and photographing of prints found at scenes of crime. They contained short descriptions of the mechanism of print formation, modes of development, lifting and examination of fingerprints. For example they recommended chalk and graphite powders to develop latent impressions and described in detail methods of photographing latent impressions using the dark-field technique.

   The first Russian book about fingerprints was published in St.Petersburg in 1909. That was V.I.Lebedevs "Art of Detecting Crime. Part I, Dactyloscopy". The year was marked by two murders being successfully solved using fingerprints.

   In 1911, the Tsarskoselsky Jubilee Exhibition took place. The C.F.B. had an exhibit there containing the equioment used in their work. All visitors were given an explanation of the work of the department and given commemorative cards bearing their own fingerprints. The exhibition proved very successful.

   In summer 1912 doctor R.A.Reiss visited Russia on Ministry of Justice and Military Ministry invitation. He gave a number lectures in Emperor School of Jurisprudence and in Military-Legal Academy.

   The first fingerprint case in St.Petersburg which led to the successful prosecution of the murderer of a local chemist, took place in 1912. A latent fingerprint was found on broken glass in the door. By fingerprinting those who had connections with the shop it was established that the print belonged to a friend of the shop's nigt-watchman. V.I.Lebedev gave the fingerprint evidence in court.

   In December 1912 the first Russian State Crime Laboratory was formed in St.Petersburg - The Cabinet of Scientific Forensic Examination by Public Prosecutor of Court Chamber. It was recognised by law and approved by the State Soviet and the State Duma. Further Cabinets were opened in Moscow, Kiev and Odessa in 1914.

   Moscow Cabinet of Scientific Forensic Examination was located in the Kremlin in the building of todays Russian Government.

   In July 1915 in St.Petersburg (renamed Petrograd) the first congress of the Chiefs of Cabinets took place. Also in attendance were court investigators and other criminologists. The participants heard a series of lectures about forensic examination. One of these from the chief of the Odessa cabinet N.P.Makarenko on the use of electrolysis for development of latent impressions on metal surfaces.

   Toward the end of 1916 the C.F.B. had accumulated approximately 90,000 fingerprint cards. 1147 recidivists was identified in results of the fingerprint registrations. 11 dead bodies was established by means fingerprinting from 1907.

   Russian criminalists was acquainted with a poroscopy by means of series of the publications in journals and in manuals. But we have not the information about a using this method in prerevolutionare fingerprints practice.

   Was formed some Crime Police Museums, which include fingerprints science and practice parts.

   Thus approaching the October Revolution in 1917 Russia had formed a sufficiently effective system of fingerprint registration and examination, similar to West European methods.

   Petrograd Cabinet of Scientific Forensic Examination was perished in the first days of February revolution by fire. Moscow Cabinet was exist until the April 1918. Odessa Cabinet exist to our time.

   Some Russian criminalists from Cabinets and from Police went over to the bolsheviks and made a valuable contribution to fingerprints science (S.M.Potapov, N.P.Makarenko, V.L.Rucetsky and others).

   In closing, I wish to thank my friend, Michael F. Carrick, owner of Lightning Powder Company, for editing and preparing this abstract.