Walter Specht By: kennedy chandler
In 1937, Walter Specht was studying at the University Institute for Legal Medicine and Scientific Criminalistics when he developed Luminol as a presumptive test for blood. This was the discovery of the Luminol glow.
Luminol was originally used for the German copper mining industry to reveal new sources of ore, but Specht mixed it with hydrogen peroxide while experimenting. When the hemoglobin in blood catalyzes the breakdown of the hydrogen peroxide into oxygen, it then oxidizes the Luminol creating a glow.
Along with the discovery of this glow, Walter also came to the conclusion that, the older the blood stain, the brighter and longer it glows. This helps us now know how recent or the time period relatively in which the blood stain is from.
Before this discovery, blood stains and evidence could go without being found.
This discovery now gives us the power to use this glow to see evidence that was before not visible to the eyes.
Created with images by luisjromero - "7-hidroxy-4-methylcoumarin under long-wave UV light"