THE POLICE FORCES OF ENGLAND AND WALES ARE SERVED BY EIGHT FORENSIC SCIENCE LABORATORIES. THE HOME OFFICE ADMINISTERS THESE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE LONDON LABORATORY WHICH IS A PART OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE. THE LABORATORIES ASSIST ALL THE POLICE FORCES BY EXAMINING ITEMS SUBMITTED TO THEM OR, WHEN NECESSARY, BY REPORTING TO THE CRIME SCENE. FORENSIC SCIENTISTS ARE OFFICERS OF THE COURTS AND REQUIRED TO MAKE OBJECTIVE EXAMINATIONS. USUALLY THE SCIENTIST IS CONCERNED WITH DETERMINING THE IDENTITY OF AN OBJECT AND LEARNING IF THE ITEM IS FROM THE SUSPECT; IF IT IS IDENTICAL TO A SIMILAR ITEM FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE; AND THE CHANCES THAT THE IDENTITY IS AN ACCIDENTAL ONE. CHEMISTRY CONSTITUTES THE MAJOR DISCIPLINE IN A FORENSIC LABORATORY. APPROXIMATELY TWO-THIRDS OF THE STAFF IN MOST LABORATORIES ARE CHEMISTS, AND THE REMAINDER BIOLOGISTS. SPECIAL CHEMISTRY SECTIONS ARE ALSO FOUND IN THE LABORATORIES. INDIVIDUALS WORK WITH CASES INVOLVING PHYSICS AND METALLURGY, ALCOHOLS, DRUGS AND TOXICOLOGY, AND SPECIAL PROBLEMS. FORENSIC BIOLOGY ALSO FALLS INTO A NUMBER OF CATEGORIES INCLUDING GENERAL BIOLOGY, FIBER ANALYSIS, BOTANY, MICROBIOLOGY, AND BODY FLUID ANALYSIS. THE POLICE SURGEON MUST REMEMBER THAT SPECIMENS SHOULD BE COLLECTED BY THE PROPER METHODS, BE PACKAGED IN SUITABLE CONTAINERS, AND BE ACCOMPANIED BY WRITTEN GUIDANCE OF CASE CIRCUMSTANCES. IN SCOTLAND, MOST LABORATORY WORK IS PERFORMED BY THE STRATHCLYDE POLICE FORENSIC SCIENCES LABORATORY; IN NORTHERN IRELAND, THE DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND FORENSIC SCIENCES PERFORMS EQUIVALENT FUNCTIONS. DESPITE ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES, FORENSIC SCIENCE IS A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING DISCIPLINE. GRAPHS AND SKETCHES ARE INCLUDED IN THE CHAPTER. (LWM)