I Just Learned The Gruesome Reason Why Chainsaws Were Invented

Huffington Post 1 min read 5 hours ago

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68ecc92c16000015aa483948.jpg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="CSA-Archive via Getty Images" /></div><div class="content-list-component text"><p>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.</p><p>That’s for a plethora of reasons, but mainly this one...</p><p>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.</p><p>Over time, that instrument has undergone a few modifications but we now know it as the humble chainsaw.</p><h2><strong>So, the chainsaw was invented to aid with birth?</strong></h2><p>Partly, yes! As <a href="https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-was-the-chainsaw-invented" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BBC Science Focus</a> 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”.</p><p>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. <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@itsworldbycharlie/video/7503942044298005791" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Check out this TikTok video which shows it in action.</a></p><p>It was also used in other surgeries where bone needed to be cut – such as amputations.</p><p>The tool was pretty r
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