استعرض مصدر Citius Altius Fortius: A Case for Superspecialization

Citius Altius Fortius: A Case for Superspecialization

Paul Sergeant, MD, PhD,* and Gregory Sergeant, MD, PhD†

Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger). It
was carved in stone at the main entrance of the Lycée
Albert Legrand and later cited by Father Dideon and
Baron de Coubertin to eulogize the human ambition
to excel. Finally it became the official motto of the
Olympic Games. Citius, Altius, Fortius could be impersonated
by Mark Cavendish, Samuel Sanchez,
and Thor Hushovd, winners of different jerseys or
stages at the Tour de France 2011. All three are brilliant
cyclists; all three ride on similar bikes, but they
differ in anatomy, attitude, and mental and physical
skills. Their career-long training and race-specific
preparation were also totally different. Their superspecialization
allowed them to achieve top performances,
but nevertheless, the Tour de France was
won by the Australian Cadel Evans, who was up with
the best in flat and mountain stages as well as time
trials. These 4 riders are perfect metaphors in favor
and against superspecialization.

Address reprint requests to Paul Sergeant, MD, PhD, Cardiac
Surgery Department, Gasthuisberg University Hospital,
Herestraat 49, Leuven 3000, Belgium. E-mail: paul.
sergeant@uz.kuleuven.ac.be


1043-0679/$-see front matter  2011 173

doi:10.1053/j.semtcvs.2011.10.003

[[تصنيف:إشكالية تخصص طب المسنين]]