AS LITTLE as 50 years ago, youngsters would suffer psychological problems as a result of the cruel treatment inflicted upon them for being born left-handed.

Today, being left-handed is no big deal. It can prove frustrating at times to sufferers attempting to use right-handed equipment but it doesn't blight their lives and it certainly doesn't pre-determine people's attitudes to them.

But in the bad old days, left-handedness had a stigma attached to it. Families would gossip about the curse of a left-handed child in the neighbourhood. Superstition said there must be something wrong or bad about left-handed children - or even that they were children of the Devil.

These beliefs stemmed from myths, legends and religion, in which the left is synonymous with badness or even Beelzebub himself.

The bad feeling surrounding the left-handedness made families feel ashamed of their offspring and caused teachers to humiliate them by tying their arm behind their back in class to ensure they wrote with the right hand.

Not all left-handed children experienced difficulties but those who did were left to struggle unaided with poor handwriting skills and equipment designed for right-hand use. For many, school became a miserable experience.

Terrible treatment and taunts for being "cack-handed" meant some pupils emerged from education feeling clumsy, awkward and out of place. Others so affected by the experience that they developed a nervous stammer. Mrs Joan Hamer, 61, said her father John developed a speech impediment as a result of pressure on him to use his right hand.

"He had his left hand tied behind his back in the class. In those days you had to conform and do everything with the right hand. The experience left him with a stammer and he had quite a strong feeling about it afterwards," said Joan, of Devon Street, Darwen.

As a result of his treatment he was determined that the same fate would not befall his left-handed daughter Joan at her strict convent school.

The mother-of-four, who lives with husband Derek, said: "He was adamant it wouldn't happen to me. I was spared the hand-tying. My family went to the school to tell teachers that they must not subject me to that. I was allowed to write with my left hand but I do remember getting my pudding taken off me because I put my spoon in my left hand."

Joan added: "It was a right-handed world. There was no help. I taught myself to do things with my right hand. I just had to get on with it. I could sew with my right hand but I used to do it the wrong way round." Many famous people have been left-handed, such as Picasso, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein, Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix and Charlie Chaplin.

Former journalist Diane Paul, who is left-handed, has produced literature about the subject.

She said: "Forcing left-handed people to use the right hand is against what their brain is directing them to do, so it is bound to cause problems.

"I still get reports of children being forced to use their right hand but it is rare and often in rural areas. Teachers are more aware of the problem but there is still not enough provision made.

"In the Arab culture, the right hand is used for eating and the left for cleaning so it is socially unacceptable to use your left hand," she added.

"There are different causes of left-hand -edness.

"The majority should have been born right-handed but something has gone wrong with a gene or a gene is missing.

Also, the left hemisphere of the brain, which controls the right hand, develops last so there is more risk of infection." Malcolm Hargrave, 52, a senior art and design lecturer at a Lancashire college, believes that there is a chemistry between left-handed people. He attempted to set up a nationwide group for left-handed - sinistral - people.

"Over the years my friends have all turned out to be left-handed," he said. "I was once married to a lady who was left-handed. I believe it is more than a coincidence. Two left-handed people have a strong understanding of each other."

Malcolm, of Garden Village, Darwen, added: "There is a feeling you develop right from early childhood of being different in some way. Being left-handed has made me unconventional. I just don't tend to conform to the norm in most things. And as for being linked to the Devil, well, I'm not religious but I do believe in right and wrong!"

Electrical giant Philips won the Best Electrical Small Appliance of the Year award for its Pirouette, kettle designed for left hand use.

Left-handed equipment such as scissors, peelers and corkscrews are available by mail order from Anything Left-handed Ltd' on 0181 7703722.

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