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Whetstone
REFLECTIONS
Whetstone W. Roy Smythe, MD Department of Surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and Scott & White Healthcare System, Temple, Texas The dull knife is placed on its side and is drawn across the whetstone at the proper angle. There is a grating sound as the blade advances toward, and then away from you, and a gritty sensation is passed from the stone to the blade to the fingers of your hand. The stone has been lubricated with a fine layer of oil, not to reduce the friction, because friction is necessary, but to render it more uniform across the surface of the blade. Back and forth the blade passes, and you can feel the heat transmitted in the metal now as well, into the handle of the
Correspondence: Inquiries to W. Roy Smythe, MD, Department of Surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Scott & White Healthcare System, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508; fax: (254) 724-7482; e-mail: rsmythe@swmail. sw.org
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knife. Consistency is important, and a lack of it can lead to an uneven surface, defeating your purpose. Gradually, the sound and the feeling change— both seem smoother, more pleasant to the ear, and to the touch. You pause intermittently and run your fingertip across the metal edge, judging your progress. The surgical training program is a whetstone. The best ones are firm, and wear well. The trainee is a dull knife, constructed to do the job, but in need of consistent, repetitive work. There is more grate and grit initially than smoothness, but this will pass. Friction and heat are necessary accompaniments as well, however, these too are moderated by the steady hand against the stone, and time. The edge is checked, and checked again. Gradually, the knife is sharpened.
Journal of Surgical Education • © 2010 Association of Program Directors in Surgery Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1931-7204/10/$30.00 doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2009.06.009
Whetstone W. Roy Smythe, MD Department of Surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, and Scott & White Healthcare System, Temple, Texas The dull knife is placed on its side and is drawn across the whetstone at the proper angle. There is a grating sound as the blade advances toward, and then away from you, and a gritty sensation is passed from the stone to the blade to the fingers of your hand. The stone has been lubricated with a fine layer of oil, not to reduce the friction, because friction is necessary, but to render it more uniform across the surface of the blade. Back and forth the blade passes, and you can feel the heat transmitted in the metal now as well, into the handle of the
Correspondence: Inquiries to W. Roy Smythe, MD, Department of Surgery, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Scott & White Healthcare System, 2401 South 31st Street, Temple, TX 76508; fax: (254) 724-7482; e-mail: rsmythe@swmail. sw.org
58
knife. Consistency is important, and a lack of it can lead to an uneven surface, defeating your purpose. Gradually, the sound and the feeling change— both seem smoother, more pleasant to the ear, and to the touch. You pause intermittently and run your fingertip across the metal edge, judging your progress. The surgical training program is a whetstone. The best ones are firm, and wear well. The trainee is a dull knife, constructed to do the job, but in need of consistent, repetitive work. There is more grate and grit initially than smoothness, but this will pass. Friction and heat are necessary accompaniments as well, however, these too are moderated by the steady hand against the stone, and time. The edge is checked, and checked again. Gradually, the knife is sharpened.
Journal of Surgical Education • © 2010 Association of Program Directors in Surgery Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1931-7204/10/$30.00 doi:10.1016/j.jsurg.2009.06.009