THE BOOK IS ONE IN A SERIES ON PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE. IT DESCRIBES IN NONTECHNICAL LANGUAGE THE WAYS IN WHICH CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS, MATHEMATICS, BIOLOGY, AND OTHER DISCIPLINES ARE USED IN IDENTIFYING, MEASURING, AND COMPARING EVIDENCE IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS. THREE CASE HISTORIES ILLUSTRATE THE VARIETY OF SUCH USES. SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS DISCUSS SPECIFIC TECHNIQUES OF IDENTIFICATION (POISONS, DRUGS, EXPLOSIVES, OBLITERATED MARKINGS), MEASUREMENT (AUTOMOBILE SPEED, ALCOHOL LEVELS), AND COMPARISON (TRACE EVIDENCE, BLOOD GROUPS, FIBERS, GLASS, PAINT, FINGERPRINTS, HANDWRITING, BULLETS, MARKS MADE BY TOOLS, SHOES, AND TIRES). WAYS IN WHICH RESEARCH IN TRAFFIC CONTROL, CRIMINAL DETECTION, AND CRIME PREVENTION HAVE AIDED POLICE ARE NOTED, WITH REFERENCE TO DEVELOPMENTS IN COMMUNICATIONS AND TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY, METAL DETECTORS, PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR POLICE, AND KITS USED BY POLICE TO CREATE PHOTOGRAPHIC LIKENESSES OF SUSPECTS FROM WITNESS' DESCRIPTIONS. FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN FORENSIC SCIENCE IN THE AREAS OF MASS SPECTROMETRY, ELECTRON MICROSCOPY, COMPUTERS, AND HOLOGRAPHY ARE CONSIDERED. A READING LIST IS PROVIDED. PHOTOGRAPHS ILLUSTRATE THE TEXT. (LKM)