OnApril13,2016,ChinaNationalPhilatelicCorporationissuedafirst-daycovercarryingasetoftwocommemorativestampstitled“FoundingFatherofForensicMedicineintheWorld–SongCi”withatotalfacevalueof2.70yuan.Thepicturesonthestampsaretitled“ThePortraitofSongCi”and“WritingBooksandEstablishingTheories”,respectively.
SongCi(1186-1249),courtesynameHuifuandliterarynameZimu,anativeofJianyang,FujianProvince,wasaforensicscientistinancientChina.Ajinshi(asuccessfulcandidateinthehighestimperialexaminations)duringthereignofEmperorNingzongoftheSouthernSongDynasty(1127-1279),heservedasapresidingjudgeintheChinesehighcourtfourtimes,thusaccumulatingaplentyoffirst-handmaterialsconcerningforensicscience.HecombinedmanyhistoricalcasesofforensicsciencewithhisownexperiencesandcompiledthebookCollectedCasesofInjusticeRectifiedin1247.Thebookistheoldestforensicmonographextantintheworld.ItnotonlyservedasaguidebookforjuridicalpracticeintheSongDynastyandthefollowingdynasties,butalsohasbeentranslatedintomanylanguages.Asaclassicintheworldhistoryofforensicscience,thebookwaspublished350yearsearlierthanitsWesterncounterparts.Forthisreason,SongCiwasesteemedastheFoundingFatherofForensicMedicineintheworld.