▁Their ▁testim ony ▁may ▁be ▁re but ted ▁by ▁testim ony ▁from ▁other ▁exper ts ▁or ▁by ▁other ▁evidence ▁or ▁facts . ▁ ▁History ▁ ▁The ▁for ens ic ▁expert ▁practice ▁is ▁an ▁ancient ▁profession . ▁For ▁example , ▁in ▁ancient ▁Bab yl onia , ▁mid w ives ▁were ▁used ▁as ▁exper ts ▁in ▁determ ining ▁pre gn ancy , ▁vir gin ity ▁and ▁female ▁fert ility . ▁Similarly , ▁the ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁recognized ▁mid w ives , ▁hand writing ▁exper ts ▁and ▁land ▁survey ors ▁as ▁legal ▁exper ts . ▁The ▁cod ified ▁use ▁of ▁expert ▁witness es ▁and ▁the ▁adm iss ibility ▁of ▁their ▁testim ony ▁and ▁scientific ▁evidence ▁has ▁developed ▁significantly ▁in ▁the ▁Western ▁court ▁system ▁over ▁the ▁last ▁ 2 5 0 ▁years . ▁The ▁concept ▁of ▁allowing ▁an ▁expert ▁witness ▁to ▁test ify ▁in ▁a ▁court ▁setting ▁and ▁provide ▁opinion ated ▁evidence ▁on ▁the ▁facts ▁of ▁other ▁witness es ▁was ▁first ▁introduced ▁by ▁Lord ▁Mans field ▁in ▁the ▁case ▁of ▁Fol kes ▁v . ▁Ch add ▁in ▁ 1 7 8 2 . ▁In ▁this ▁particular ▁case , ▁the ▁court ▁was ▁hearing ▁lit ig ation ▁regarding ▁the ▁sil ting ▁of ▁Well s ▁Har bor ▁in ▁Nor folk ▁and ▁allowed ▁leading ▁civil ▁engineer , ▁John ▁S me aton , ▁to ▁provide ▁scientific ▁r ationale ▁behind ▁the ▁proposed ▁legisl ation . ▁The ▁decision ▁by ▁the ▁English ▁Court ▁to ▁allow ▁for ▁an ▁expert ▁to ▁provide ▁context ual ▁background ▁and ▁detail ▁on ▁a ▁case ▁is ▁often ▁c ited ▁as ▁the ▁root ▁of