Founding Father of Forensic Medicine in the World – Song Ci — Commemorative Stamps

On April 13, 2016, China National Philatelic Corporation issued a first- day cover carrying a set of two commemorative stamps titled “Founding Father of Forensic Medicine in the World – Song Ci” with a total face value of 2.70 yuan. The pictures on the stamps are titled “The Portrait of Song Ci” and “Writing Books and Establishing Theories”, respectively.

Song Ci (1186-1249), courtesy name Huifu and literary name Zimu, a native of Jianyang, Fujian Province, was a forensic scientist in ancient China. A jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the reign of Emperor Ningzong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), he served as a presiding judge in the Chinese high court four times, thus accumulating a plenty of first-hand materials concerning forensic science. He combined many historical cases of forensic science with his own experiences and compiled the book Collected Cases of Injustice Rectified in 1247. The book is the oldest forensic monograph extant in the world. It not only served as a guidebook for juridical practice in the Song Dynasty and the following dynasties, but also has been translated into many languages. As a classic in the world history of forensic science, the book was published 350 years earlier than its Western counterparts. For this reason, Song Ci was esteemed as the Founding Father of Forensic Medicine in the world.

The first-day cover features a poem by contemporary Chinese artist Fan Zeng, Ode to Song Ci: “Over eight hundred years, Song Ci was revered for his persistent efforts to rectify injustice; all evils find nowhere to hide, because the book he compiled served as a guidebook for centuries.”