Why was chainsaw invented? — Spoiler: Childbirth
How did chainsaw came by?
How did the invention of chainsaw come about?
Surely, the chainsaw was invented to cut down something tough, like trees. Perhaps it was innovated from an axe. Or so I thought.
Back in the days and before the discovery of C-Section, all babies had to pass through the birth canal but like today, there will be cases of breach or the babies being too big for the woman. To help the baby, the surgeons had to manually saw the pelvic bone with a small knife. Needless to say, it was a long and painful process. And here, comes the beginning of the invention, chainsaw.
For context, the initial chainsaw was not like the high powered with a constant rotating chain that we always see today. It looked like a small knife with a belt of teeth around it and it was powered by a hand crank. It meant to remove parts of the pelvic bone and cartridge more efficiently to create more space for the baby to pass through. It was considered to be a successful medical tool and was used almost throughout the 19th century. The use of that medical tool soon evolved to amputations and much, much later, a wood chopping tool.
Perhaps, the next time you come across a chainsaw or even a common knife in your kitchen, you might just remember the birth of a chainsaw.
