The Surgeon and The Musician: Pascal R. Vouhe
The Surgeon and The Musician: Pascal R. Vouhe
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1010-7940/$ — see front matter # 2010 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ejcts.2010.11.046
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P.R. Vouhé / European Journal of Cardio-thoracic Surgery 39 (2011) 1—5
4.1. The performer: musician and surgeon Strictness. A strict respect of the musical score is
obviously mandatory. Similarly, the steps of a surgical
To achieve an optimal performance (musical or surgical), procedure must be followed strictly to provide a
the performer should be an expert. The question then arises satisfactory outcome.
to know how to acquire expertise. Anticipation. A musician is reading the score many bars in
For many years, the prevalent accepted theory suggested advance of what he or she is playing. A surgeon should also
a single factor, deliberate practice, as the necessary prepare subsequent surgical steps well in advance.
component for acquiring expertise in a given field [23]. Improvisation. Improvisation is the essence of jazz music.
Deliberate practice includes all the voluntary activities which Even in classical music, there is place for some
are designed specifically to improve performance. The improvisation called rubato; this makes the expressive
validity of this theory has been established for various differences in interpretation between several performers.
activities, including sports, music, chess, mathematics, and Improvisation in surgery is necessary to take care of any
even medical diagnosis. Deliberate practice should be unexpected operative event.
started as young as possible and carried out intensively for Virtuosity. Musical virtuosity includes several elements
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universal language that everybody can use and understand.
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