Henry Faulds was a Scottish physician, missionary and scientist who laid the groundwork for the development of fingerprinting. Although he played a significant role in the development of fingerprinting, he never received the recognition he deserved during his lifetime and was an embittered man at the time of his death. Born to prosperous parents who lost their wealth when he was a young boy, Henry had to drop out of school to take up a job and fend for himself. He decided to continue his studies after a few years and went on to study mathematics and logic at the Glasgow University. However, it was not long before he realized that his true passion was to study medicine and enrolled at Anderson's College from where he received his physician's license. During his college years he also developed a strong faith in Christianity and was attracted towards missionary work. He joined the United Presbyterian Church and travelled to Japan as a medical missionary. There he gained a reputation for being a distinguished physician and also became involved in archaeological digs in Japan which led to his fascination with fingerprints. He conducted several experiments over the next few years to prove that fingerprints are unique to an individual and can be used as a method of signature.