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Articles: Development | Why Are Some People Left Handed?? (A BRIEF STUDY)
- Mr. VIRABHADRA SASTRI KALANADHABHATTA
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| Ever since time began, some people have been left handed. Why? Aside from superstitions and traditions about this, scientists, doctors and even philosophers
have for centuries been trying to explain.
Almost 2,500 years ago, Plato the famous Greek Philosopher believed that the hand that rocks the baby rules which hand the baby will favor. Some believed it is an hereditary. But 80% of left handed children are born to right handed parents. Sir Cyril Burt, an investigator of left handed phenomenon found that in 75% of the population, the bones of the right arm are stronger, but in 9% the left arm is longer and stronger. (The arm strength of the remaining 16% is never revealed). The conclusion has to be that the bones and muscles in the “preferred hand” – the hand you use for most things as you grow up- will be better developed by use and skill, not because of birth.
So scientists turned to the brain itself for an explanation with a view that the left handers have a different brain organization.
To understand this, we have to take a look at how our brain work. We have two complementary brains which work together as a team. Each hemisphere (half) has specific tasks totally different from those of other.
How many lefties are there?
The current research puts the figure at about 15% of the population, some scientists think that as much as half of humanity would left handed if they had not been trained to use their right hands as children. The proportion of the lefties to righties vary according to the culture they live in. However their number seems to be growing every year. Why? Is it just a chance?
The reason there are more left handers around today is because they are being left alone! Here is a list of famous left handers in the world:
King George VI, Queen Victoria, Prince Charles, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Nelson Rock feller, Charlie Chaplin, Tennis player Jimmy Connors, Benjamin Franklin, Lewis Carrol, Bettygrable, and so on.
Special facilities for the left handers:
Naturally left handers will find difficulty to use some of the articles which are fluently used by the right handers. As such, in many countries, special stores for left handers are popping up with various verities of articles such as scissors, knitting materials, note books, wrist watches etc. They are separate clubs for the left handers. I think the former USA President Bill Clinton is also a left hander.
Left Handers are finally getting the attention they deserve.
Left Handers in the Nature:
Not only people are left handed. There are many other creatures in the nature that lefties. The fiddler crab has its left claw much larger than its right claw. The Flounder fish has got both eyes on the same side its head.. There are some snails whose shell are left handed.
Another curious left handed helices in the animal world is the tusk of the Narwhal. This is a kind of whale having two teeth in its upper jaw. While the female Narwhal has its teeth stay inside her jawbone, the male Narwhal’s left tooth grows out into a long spear like tuft, sprawling counter clock wise all the way on its pointed tip.
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