The Hero of Haarlem: seeking simple solutions to failures of complex systems

In 1865, Mary Mapes Dodge published a novel about a young Dutch boy's struggle to win a pair of silver ice skates. Hans Brinker: Or, The Silver Skates, contains within it a chapter which has become a classic American tale of ingenuity, grit, and fortitude.1 This hero of Haarlem who, despite frequent misattributions is never actually given a name, is known by all school-age children as the boy who put his finger in the dam. Though universally familiar, the poignant image of a small child standing alone throughout a cold winter night holding back the inevitable flood of a broken dike loses the plot in the imagery.
Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: Editorial Source Type: research