Asset Rotation: The Demise of Modern Portfolio Theory and the Birth of an Investment Renaissance

CHAPTER 10LETTING GO OF YOUR CRUTCHIntegrating Asset Rotation into Your Overall Approach

Sixteenth-century French Army surgeon Ambroise Paré is widely considered to be the Father of Amputation and Modern Day Prosthetics. In 1529 he introduced amputation as a life saving measure in medicine. Soon after, Paré began to develop prosthetic limbs in a scientific manner, engineering revolutionary prosthetic advances for both upper and lower extremities.

Until this time, prostheses were heavy, crude devices that provided their wearer with little functionality; moreover, they were used as little more than a crutch. For the first time ever, Paré introduced practical movement to the prosthetic limb, inventing a hinged mechanical hand as well as prosthetic legs that featured advances such as locking knees and specialized attachment harnesses.

The mechanical hand designed by Ambroise Paré was made by Lorrain, a French locksmith and one of the most famous makers of artificial limbs during the Renaissance period. For the first time ever, a prosthetic hand operated using springs and catches. The utility of the prosthesis was so great that it was even worn into battle by a French Army captain. The hand later came to be known as “Le Petit Lorrain” (“the Lorrain Baby”).

In 1996, for the first time in history, a disabled athlete was allowed to compete on an NCAA, Division I track team. Her name was Aimee Mullins. She was a student at Georgetown University, a sprinter with aspirations of competing ...