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huffingtonpost - 4 hours ago

I Just Learned The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were Invented

Having been there twice, I think it’s fair to say giving birth isn’t exactly a fun experience. But boy am I glad I gave birth in the 2020s and not the 1800s.That’s for a plethora of reasons, but mainly this one...Back in the late 1700s, doctors created a hand-operated medical instrument for cutting through bone. They discovered they could use it to help women give birth if their baby became stuck.Over time, that instrument has undergone a few modifications but we now know it as the humble chainsaw.So, the chainsaw was invented to aid with birth?Partly, yes! As BBC Science Focus explained, the saw “was used to cut away flesh, cartilage, and bone from the mother during childbirth if the baby became stuck in the birth canal”.Back then the saw, which became known as the “osteotome”, wasn’t like the electric chainsaws of modern day – rather, it resembled a plate with a sharp toothed chain wrapped around it, which was powered by a handle surgeons had to manoeuvre themselves. Check out this TikTok video which shows it in action.It was also used in other surgeries where bone needed to be cut – such as amputations.The tool was pretty revolutionary for doctors. According to a paper published in the journal Heritage, the osteotome helped mechanise medical procedures as prior to its invention, surgery was conducted with “hand tools, including hammers, chisels, and saws”.Bone is notoriously pretty strong, so cutting it or trying to chisel it away with hand tools could result in “patient injury, extreme discomfort, haemorrhaging, and complications during surgery”.Wait, but what about C-sections?Caesarean sections (C-sections) have been occurring since the 1800s, and probably even well before then – however, historically the surgery was extremely dangerous and both mother and baby were likely to die, either from the surgery itself, shock or a post-operative infection. Because of this, C-sections were often considered a last resort.Per Pharmacy Times, the surgical procedure of the symphysiotomy was more common: “During this procedure, the pubic symphysis, which is a joint above the vulva covered and connected by cartilage and reinforced by ligaments and tendons, is severed to widen the pelvis and make the childbirth process a bit more likely to occur.”But thanks to modern knowledge around post-operative infections as well as the advancement of anaesthesia, C-sections have gradually become more and more popular and are no longer a last resort for many expectant parents.In England, 42% of babies were delivered by C-section between 2023 and 2024, NHS data shows.When did chainsaws become a gardening tool?As for the evolution of the chainsaw, in the early 1900s, people began to realise the hand-powered surgical saws could be used for other applications, too – like cutting trees.So, in 1918, James Shand created and patented a portable chainsaw and in 1926, Andreas Stihl – yes, of Stihl power tools fame – developed and patented an electric chainsaw for cutting wood. What a backstory. Related...I Found The Perfect Surgeon To Do My Tummy Tuck – But I Couldn t Stop Thinking About 1 ThingI Just Learned Why So Many Airport Names End In X , And HuhI Just Learned How Ancient Egyptians Took Pregnancy Tests, And I Physically Cannot Stop Laughing


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