Why were chainsaws invented? The Chainsaw according to viral TikTok
Today, in the things that the Internet made you discover and now you cannot ignore, it is the simple question: why were chainsaws invented? You may think this is pretty simple, maybe someone wanted a sharp object to cut down a tree? Maybe it was created by a builder? Something innocent surely? Oh no. It is dark.
A meme is going viral of people reacting when they find out why chainsaws were actually invented and a video on TikTok claims that chainsaws were originally invented to help with childbirth. So if you’ve found yourself here because you want to know the answer, you’re about to find out.
So why were chainsaws invented?
You may want to sit down for this because chainsaws were literally invented to cut bones during childbirth. The prototype of the family chainsaw today in the lumber industry was started in the late 18th century by two Scottish doctors, John Aitken and James Jeffray. They invented it for a procedure called symphysiotomy and diseased bone excision, respectively.
This procedure was used during childbirth, before the days of cesarean sections, when babies were too big or breech so they could be born naturally. Originally, a small knife was used to remove chunks of bone and cartilage around the pelvis to make more room for the baby, but this was found to be too complicated and time-consuming.
So in the 1780s, the two doctors invented the chainsaw to facilitate this procedure. Chainsaws back then were much smaller, but it has been said that the operations were performed without anesthesia. Yes, the chainsaw would literally cut human bones to facilitate childbirth. Honestly, I feel sick.