Even Handed Future of Surgery—Ambidextrous, Serious Gamers with Innate Left Hand Laterality

Excerpt

“And what is good, and what is not good, need we ask anyone to tell us these things.” - Plato [1]

Harvey Cushing said, “The physician requires a special combination of head and heart, the surgeon, head, heart and hand” [2]. The hand and the handedness were thus made and have remained a debate in surgical domains. The surgical teachers constantly try to recruit the best and the brightest. At the same time, my generation, i.e., “Generation—Y” looks for a fulfilling, well-balanced social life in coherence with surgical pursuit. A career in surgery remains as attractive as it seems after watching Surgeons idolized in media, literature, and popular shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” world over. Less than 10 % of the medical students aspiring to be surgeons are left-handed while the majority of surgical programs have dedicated right-handed training structures [3]. The data raises some apprehensions for the left-hander. While even the right-handed students are showing a declining interest in choosing surgery, asking themselves a question, “Can I cut it?” [4], left handedness is seen as a further deterrent. Similar apprehensions have existed for left hander in other professions, but left-handers like Benjamin Franklin have proven their mettle, both in science as well as highest public offices.