ALTHOUGH OTHER IDENTIFICATION METHODS (ANTHROPOMETRY, PHOTOGRAPHY, PERSONAL DESCRIPTION, MEDICAL AND DENTAL RECORDS) ARE DISCUSSED, THE BOOK'S MAIN THRUST IS THE STUDY OF FINGERPRINTS, ACCORDING TO TWO SYSTEMS: (1) VUCETICH'S, NAMED AFTER AN ARGENTINIAN POLICE CHIEF, AND (2) HENRY'S, DEVELOPED BY AN ENGLISHMAN. POLICE INVESTIGATORS ARE INSTRUCTED TO SEARCH THE SCENE OF THE CRIME FOR ALL POSSIBLE CLUES IN ADDITION TO TAKING FINGERPRINTS (PALMAR PRINTS, FOOTPRINTS, POROSCOPY, ANALYSIS OF MINUTE FRAGMENTS OF SKIN, CLOTH, ETC.) THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF EVIDENCE IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES IS GIVEN AND COMPARISONS ARE MADE REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AND WORLD WIDE CRIME DETECTION. THE BOOK INCLUDES A SECTION ON POLICE STRUCTURES IN GERMANY, ENGLAND, FRANCE, ITALY, BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS, AND SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES; IN RUSSIA AND HER SATELLITES; AND IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. FINGERPRINTING AND OTHER IDENTIFICATION TECHNIQUES ARE DETAILED ACCORDING TO STANDARDS OF THE US FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION, THE NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT, ENGLAND'S SCOTLAND YARD, AND INTERPOL (THE INTERNATIONAL POLICE ORGANIZATION). THE BOOK IS ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS OF FINGERPRINTS, PROFILES OF INTERNATIONAL POLICE, STATISTICAL TABLES, AND GRAPHS. TWO APPENDIXES GIVE AN ALPHABETICAL, NONANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND A LIST OF WORKS ON THE STUDY OF FINGERPRINTS BY THE AUTHOR. THE BOOK WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN PRE-CASTRO CUBA. --IN SPANISH. (LGR)