John Augustus Larson
Encyclopedia
John Augustus Larson was a police officer of the Berkeley Police Department
, California
, United States
, and famous for his invention of modern polygraph
used in forensic investigations
. He was the first American police officer having an academic doctorate
and to use polygraph in criminal investigations.
After famed career in criminal investigation, he died of heart attack in Nashville
, Tennessee
at the age of 72.
, Nova Scotia
, Canada
, of Nordic
parents. His family moved to New England
in his early childhood, and his parents soon divorced. He studied biology
at the Boston University
earning his degree through doing odd jobs to support himself, from being a busboy, paperboy, stonecutter to elevator operator. In 1915 he earned his master degree with a thesis on fingerprint identification. This work inspired his interest in forensic science and eventually landed him at the University of California, Berkeley
, from where he obtained his Ph.D.
in physiology
in 1920
He joined the Berkeley police force in 1920. Upon learning the deception test based on blood pressure
developed by William Moulton Marston
, he was immediately instilled to include pulse
, respiration
and skin conductivity
to make a more comprehensive and reliable tool. He was also highly encouraged by his police chief August Vollmer
.
The first practical use was in the summer of 1921. The San Francisco Call and Post
arranged for Larson to use the apparatus to test William Hightower, accused of murdering a priest in San Francisco. The newspaper reported Larson’s findings the following morning: Hightower was pronounced guilty by impartial science. The graphic results of the interrogation were printed large across the page, with arrows marking each presumed lie. Vollmer exalted the machine to the press, which renamed it the 'lie detector.' However, Larson himself used to refer to his apparatus as a 'cardio-pneumo psychogram,' which basically consisted of a modification of an Erlanger Sphygmomanometer
.
The polygraph is considered officially one of the greatest inventions of all time. It is included in the Encyclopædia Britannica
Almanac 2003's list of 325 greatest inventions, and is still ranks at 10 in the Rankopedia’s Best Inventions of 1920’s.
This first polygraph instrument of Larson is now at the Smithsonian Institution
in Washington, D.C.
. It first appeared in action in a moving picture in 1926 in the silent police serial ‘’Officer 444’’.
Berkeley Police Department
The Berkeley Police Department is the municipal police department for the city of Berkeley, California, USA.-History:Shortly after Berkeley was incorporated in 1878, a town marshal and constables were elected to provide law enforcement. In 1909, the town marshal was appointed to be the first...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and famous for his invention of modern polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
used in forensic investigations
Forensic identification
Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts"....
. He was the first American police officer having an academic doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and to use polygraph in criminal investigations.
After famed career in criminal investigation, he died of heart attack in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
at the age of 72.
Early Life and Career
Larson was born in ShelburneShelburne County, Nova Scotia
Shelburne County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.-History:Shelburne County was founded in 1784 shortly following the influx of Loyalist settlers evacuated from the newly independent United States of America...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, of Nordic
Scandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
parents. His family moved to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
in his early childhood, and his parents soon divorced. He studied biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
at the Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
earning his degree through doing odd jobs to support himself, from being a busboy, paperboy, stonecutter to elevator operator. In 1915 he earned his master degree with a thesis on fingerprint identification. This work inspired his interest in forensic science and eventually landed him at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, from where he obtained his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
in 1920
He joined the Berkeley police force in 1920. Upon learning the deception test based on blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
developed by William Moulton Marston
William Moulton Marston
Dr. William Moulton Marston , also known by the pen name Charles Moulton, was an American psychologist, feminist theorist, inventor and comic book writer who created the character Wonder Woman...
, he was immediately instilled to include pulse
Pulse
In medicine, one's pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the...
, respiration
Respiration (physiology)
'In physiology, respiration is defined as the transport of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues, and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction...
and skin conductivity
Galvanic skin response
Skin conductance, also known as galvanic skin response , electrodermal response , psychogalvanic reflex , skin conductance response or skin conductance level , is a method of measuring the electrical conductance of the skin, which varies with its moisture level...
to make a more comprehensive and reliable tool. He was also highly encouraged by his police chief August Vollmer
August Vollmer
August "Gus" Vollmer was a leading figure in the development of the field of criminal justice in the United States in the early 20th century. He was also the first police chief of Berkeley, California.-Youth:...
.
Invention of Polygraph
The instrument with the combination of measuring these physiological indices ultimately became the polygraph, which Larson fully developed for use in 1921. In conjunction with his polygraph, he used a test/a scientific procedure originated by William Moulton Marston with modifications necessary for his own invention and applied it to the police procedure at the Berkeley Police Department. His instrument differed from Marston’s in that it provided continuous readings, rather than discontinuous readings.The first practical use was in the summer of 1921. The San Francisco Call and Post
San Francisco Call
The San Francisco Call was a newspaper that served San Francisco, California. Because of a succession of mergers with other newspapers, the paper variously came to be called The San Francisco Call & Post, the San Francisco Call-Bulletin, San Francisco News-Call Bulletin, and the News-Call Bulletin...
arranged for Larson to use the apparatus to test William Hightower, accused of murdering a priest in San Francisco. The newspaper reported Larson’s findings the following morning: Hightower was pronounced guilty by impartial science. The graphic results of the interrogation were printed large across the page, with arrows marking each presumed lie. Vollmer exalted the machine to the press, which renamed it the 'lie detector.' However, Larson himself used to refer to his apparatus as a 'cardio-pneumo psychogram,' which basically consisted of a modification of an Erlanger Sphygmomanometer
Sphygmomanometer
A sphygmomanometer or blood pressure meter is a device used to measure blood pressure, comprising an inflatable cuff to restrict blood flow, and a mercury or mechanical manometer to measure the pressure. It is always used in conjunction with a means to determine at what pressure blood flow is just...
.
The Legacy
Larson married Margaret Taylor, the freshman victim of the College Hall case and the first person he ever interrogated on the lie detector. Over the next fifteen years, he collected hundreds of files on successful criminal cases where his polygraph solved murders, robberies, thefts and sex crimes. His instrument was nicknamed 'Sphyggy' by the press who covered Larson’s crime solving escapades in the 1920’s and 30's; 'Sphyggy' because they couldn’t pronounce 'Sphygmomanometer.'The polygraph is considered officially one of the greatest inventions of all time. It is included in the Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
Almanac 2003's list of 325 greatest inventions, and is still ranks at 10 in the Rankopedia’s Best Inventions of 1920’s.
This first polygraph instrument of Larson is now at the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. It first appeared in action in a moving picture in 1926 in the silent police serial ‘’Officer 444’’.
External links
- Andriy Volyk The Lie Detector Man
- Euro Polygraph Center
- The Polygraph Museum John Larson's Breadboard Polygraph
- John A. Larson Papers at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
- THE POLYGRAPH: The Modern Lie Detector
- Ken Alder: The Lie Detector
- International League of Polygraph Examiners