The record-union., 1899-04-30

tive barbarians that now remain living
relics of the stone age use both arms
indifferently"
However, there seems to be much ev-
idence to the contrary, but time will
not permit me to go into details. That
the percentage of the left-handed is not
greater is due. no doubt, to the fact
that in many the bias is slight and they
readily yield to common usages and
pass over to the right-handed- But l
am thoroughly convinced that the per-
centage would be far greater were
children allowed entire liberty in the
matter; but most children in showing
the slightest preference for the left
hand are at once corrected, parents be-
ing inclined to look upon it as mis-
fortune, but training and education
seem powerless to eradicate it when
strongly marked, though with proper
training the bias would be slight.
In my own case, l grew up thor
oughly left handed and left-footed-not
inherited for with the exception Of an
uncle 1 can find no trace of left
handedness in several generations. He
never tried to become ambidextrous.
with the exception of writing with
either hand, brought about by his
writing master, who insisted upon his
taking his pen i'm the right hand. Aside
from this he remained inveterately left
handed. My experience was similar as
far as the writing master was con-
cerned. I remained left-handed until l
had established myself in my chosen
profession. Then it occurred to me that
it would be a great advantage to learn
to use both hands. And as many CT
the instruments are made for the ex-
elusive use of the right hand, I con-
fined my operating to that hand largely
Let me say right here that in any
operation it makes but little difference
which hand you use at first, when the
habit is once formed it becomes silent
law and difficult to exchange. l ex-
perienced no more trouble in learning to
use the pen with my right hand than
the average boy, and always wrote
right-handed until recent years. / now
use the pen in my left hand, but still
prefer the right hand when using the
pencil. It is only within the last few
years that I have broken myself of
taking my knife in my left hand at the
table. 1 confess that things skated
about a little at first, but 1 was sur
prised how quickly my right hand &C
cepted the change.
A child shows but a slight preference
in the use of it's hand. and will nearly
as often extend the left as the right in
a friendly grasp; but little training
suffices to give preference to the right
At this age / believe that most children
would become ambidextrous with lit
tie care and encouragement. 1t would
bring about more symmetrical devel-
opment of the body, and in after life
would be of great advantage in almost
any calling. We all know the power of
habit, both from a moral and physical
standpoint Left-handedness is often
looked upon as a misfortune by the
right handed, and much sympathy is
wasted in consequence. They forget
that the left hand of those with whom
they sympathize differs in no way from
their right as to dexterity and force.
On the contrary, by custom and asso-
citation they acquire a skill with the
right hand seldom reached by the right
handed with their left.
OF the many theories advanced as to
why observation-disclosures is so universal
/ will mention a few: DR. John Evans
thinks it is often the way a child is
carried in infancy. This reason has
been frequently suggested, the idea be-
ing that mothers or nurses carry the
child with the right side toward the
breast. Ali objects are thus presented
to the free left hand of the child. Car
lyle says: 1t is a provision Of nature
necessary for universal cooperation.
This may be true in some things, but
will only apply to your immediate CO.
operator In military drill I expert
enced no difficulty in learning to shoot
from the right shoulder, though I had
previously used my left
DIR. John Rea believes in hereditary
transmission. Professor Edward Morse,
himself left-handed and possessing IN
usual skill with either hand, says:
Teachers in their attempt to break me
of the use of the left hand only sue
ceeded in teaching me to use the right
In his case left-handedness seemed to
be hereditary In the course of my
investigation of this subject I found
three children of one family left-hand-
ed. That is certainly unusual, though
many cases can be cited where it has
descended from generation to genera
ton in the same family. In those in
stances the bias is generally strong,
and though learning to use the right
hand in a measure, they remain invet-
erately 1eft-handed. Education enforced
by the uses of the majority beget for
them a training for the other hand.
while by unwise neglect the majority of
mankind seem content to let one hand
do all the work and leave the possibili
ties Of the ether undevelopedl
Dr. W. c. Cahill in an article in the
Popular Science Monthly says:
There is a physical cause for the uni
form condition of observation-disclosures
He goes on to say, first: THE brain is
divided into two hemispheres; second,
the nerve fbers which produce muscu
lar action on one side of the body have
their organs in the opposite hemisphere
of the brain; third, the left hemisphere
from the earliest period is larger and
heavier than the right, and the con-
vulutions Of gray matter, the seat of
nervous energy, are more numerous
than on the right" This he attributes
to the arrangement of the blood vessels,
whereby a greater supply is distributed
to the brain substance of that side; this
is due to the directness and larger cali
Der of the left common carotid, which
gives the left hemisphere a decided adj
vantage" In cases of left-handedness
he says:
ANTAGONISTS have found that in GER
tain portions of their subjects the
aorta arches from left to right, in which
case the innominate artery is on the
left side, and the common carotid and
subclavian separate on the right; this
would favor the growth of the right
hem 9rhE.r.n There to ha h