The right hand: left-handedness

Sir Daniel Wilson's "The Right Hand: Left-Handedness" is a comprehensive study that examines the causes and consequences of human handedness from both anthropological and physiological perspectives. The author argues that the universal preference for the right hand should be regarded as an inherent characteristic of the human race, rather than a mere consequence of custom or training. He correlates left-handedness with an unusual development of the brain's right hemisphere, in contrast to the dominant left hemisphere typically associated with right-handedness. The book explores the evolutionary origins of this asymmetry by drawing on anatomical evidence, archaeological findings, and historical records. Ultimately, it focuses on the profound effects this difference in hand preference has on an individual's mental and physical functions, suggesting that the ascendancy of the right hand was a fundamental requirement for the advance of language and reason, while supporting the idea of left-handedness as a rare anomaly with scientific data.