Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: Handedness

  • A note on handedness

    JMS PearceHull, England, United Kingdom Handedness (chirality) refers to the preferential use of one hand over the other. It is a matter of degree; it is seldom absolute. Population left and right preference existed in the Neanderthals (lived from 400,000 to about 40,000 years ago) onwards. Only homo sapiens amongst the great apes shows strong…

  • Left-handedness: Is it the winner’s curse?

    Isuri WimalasiriKandawela Estate, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka Most human beings, some 85% to 95%, are right-handed, and the remainder consists mainly of left-handers and a negligibly small number of ambidextrous people. Hand orientation is decided during intrauterine life, but if a child shows hand preference before the age of eighteen months this it is considered abnormal…