It’s True: The Chainsaw Was Invented to Assist With Childbirth
This story of the chainsaw’s origin went viral
It sounds like something that you would find in a horror novel more than the real world, but a recent viral meme has sent the internet into spasms of disbelief with its claim that chainsaws were originally invented to assist with childbirth. Even more astonishing is that this meme turns out to be the truth.
One must remember that advancements in the medical field took a long time to arrive, and that medicinal practices as recently as 200 years ago were still quite crude and based on questionable science or even superstition. These days, we take certain concepts for granted, such as the C-section, or the caesarean. Before advancements were made in anesthesia and suturing, the caesarean section was generally performed only to save the child. Given this, doctors would try to find alternative methods to allow mothers to be able to give birth naturally.
In situations requiring it, such as a breech baby, or an obstructed baby, doctors would try to surgically widen the birth canal. Before the “chainsaw” was invented, the doctors would use surgical knives and scalpels to cut through the ligaments and cartilage of the pelvic joint. This procedure is called a symphysiotomy. Sometimes, they would actually have to cut the…
