Although the process of deciphering the quipu system is still just beginning, scholars surmise (at least) that information is stored in cord color, cord length, knot type, knot location, and cord twist direction.
National Salary Statistics. According to a 2011 salary survey conducted by Medscape, general surgeons practicing in the United States earned an average of $265,000. About 19 percent of general surgeons reported annual incomes of less than $100,000, and 15 percent of general surgeons earned between $100,000 and $200,000.
General surgeons, regardless of gender, are slightly less happy with their income compared with all physicians who responded, where satisfaction rates were 50-50. The highest general surgeon earners live in the North Central ($325,000) and Northwest ($302,000) regions. The lowest earners are in the South Central area ($280,000), and the second lowest-paid general surgeons are in the Northeast ($284,000), where most of the lowest physician earners practice.