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Character Mirror

So much effort is put into identifying criminals - DNA tests, polygraphs, fingerprints, and much more. Wouldn't it be great if there were a simpler way though? Perhaps something as simple as just looking at a picture and determining from that whether a person is a criminal.

Well, that's exactly what the patented Character Mirror does. Apparently, it's been proven that criminals do not have regular features, and that there are differences between the left and right-hand sides of their faces. By taking a photo of the suspect and inserting it into the device, these differences are magnified, so that criminals can be easily identified.

The description of the patent provides more detail on how this works:

"Students of phrenology and physiognomy have ascertained that facial expression is a direct index of character. Criminologists have presented a theory which is now abundantly proven, that the face of a criminal is not regular in its features, and that the two sides of the face divided on a vertical medium line, are materially different. This is to some extent true with the faces of all human beings, but in cases of criminals it has been found that a criminal who is right-handed has some changes on the left side of the face which indicate criminal tendencies. The inventor has found out that these changes can be readily detected, and, in fact, magnified as to their appearance and significance by providing means for observing one half of the face at a time."

"In the observation of criminals it has been noticed that by means of this device the defective side of the face will clearly produce the image of a person who could be instantly recognized as being of criminal tendencies."

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